ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - At least 63 individuals lost their lives in a fire at a shopping mall in Iraq’s eastern city of Kut on Thursday, Iraqi state media confirmed.

 

Wasit province Governor, Mohammed al-Miyahi said that “men, women, and children are among the victims," noting that the blaze broke out late Wednesday night and that the cause has yet to be identified.

 

The fire, which has now been contained started on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the five-story hypermarket that had opened just five days earlier.

 

Videos shared across social media platforms show a large crowd of mourners outside a hospital morgue in Kut, grieving and caring for loved ones lost in the tragedy, with some collapsing as ambulances arrived, transporting casualties.

 

Civil defense teams have begun an extensive search for possible missing shoppers.

 

“There are ongoing efforts and full mobilization of civil defense teams, with the participation of all security and service formations in the province,” Wasit Police Command said in a statement, carried by state media.

 

“We declare three days of mourning for the victims of the Kut hypermarket fire tragedy,” Miyahi said, adding they had “filed a lawsuit against the owner of the building and the mall.”

 

“We will announce preliminary investigation results to the public within 48 hours," he explained.

 

According to a statement, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani "directed the Minister of Interior to be present at the site of the unfortunate fire in Kut to immediately investigate the causes and surrounding circumstances, to conduct a thorough technical investigation to uncover any shortcomings, and to take all necessary strict measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents."

 

Iraq regularly experiences fires, especially during the hot summer months, with safety standards in the Iraqi construction sector often being neglected, thus increasing the risk.

 

In September 2023, at least 122 people lost their lives, and 82 others were injured when a fire tore through a wedding hall in Iraq's Nineveh province, due to flammable construction materials and lack of safety measures.