Video. Newly opened mall in Iraq destroyed by fire, killing dozens
The blaze broke out late Wednesday at the Corniche Hypermarket, just a week after its opening. Most victims reportedly died from suffocation, and some bodies remain unidentified.
Firefighters rescued more than 45 people, some from the mall's roof, as flames tore through the building, which housed a supermarket and restaurant.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and legal cases have been filed against the mall and building owners.
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has ordered an inquiry, while the provincial governor has declared three days of mourning.
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Euronews
18-07-2025
- Euronews
Iraqi officials try to identify 18 bodies from shopping centre fire
Officials in Iraq have been struggling on Friday to identify more than a dozen bodies pulled from a deadly fire in a shopping centre, as investigations continue to determine the cause of the blaze. An Iraqi medical official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the final death toll from Wednesday's fire was 63, including 18 bodies that could not be identified due to the severity of the burns and would undergo DNA testing. The Corniche Hypermarket centre in the town of Kut in Wasit province, a five-story building containing restaurants, shops and a supermarket, had opened just days before the blaze, which officials said broke out on the second floor in an area selling perfume and cosmetics. Civil defence crews were able to rescue 45 people from the burning building. Officials said that most of those who died were trapped on the upper floors. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, officials blamed a lack of safety standards in the building for the scale of the tragedy. Provincial Governor Mohammed al-Miyahi stated that the building owner had failed to implement fire safety measures and had not obtained the required permits. The provincial council of Wasit voted on Thursday to form committees to conduct building safety inspections and to suspend the directors of the Kut municipality and occupational safety until investigations into the fire are complete. Al-Miyahi said on Thursday that legal complaints had been filed against the building owner and shopping centre owner, who could not be reached for comment. The governor said at a press conference that the son of the centre owner and other members of his family were among the victims. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 and 92 people was determined to have been fuelled by highly flammable, low-cost type of "sandwich panel" cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in Hamdaniya, Nineveh province, after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames.
Euronews
18-07-2025
- Euronews
Video. Newly opened mall in Iraq destroyed by fire, killing dozens
A devastating fire that tore through a five-storey shopping centre in the Iraqi city of Kut has killed at least 61 people, including women and children, officials say. The blaze broke out late Wednesday at the Corniche Hypermarket, just a week after its opening. Most victims reportedly died from suffocation, and some bodies remain unidentified. Firefighters rescued more than 45 people, some from the mall's roof, as flames tore through the building, which housed a supermarket and restaurant. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and legal cases have been filed against the mall and building owners. Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has ordered an inquiry, while the provincial governor has declared three days of mourning.
LeMonde
17-07-2025
- LeMonde
Fire kills more than 60 in newly opened Iraq mall
A fire at a newly opened mall in eastern Iraq's Wasit province killed more than 60 people, including women and children, Iraqi officials said Thursday, July 17. Iraq's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut. Among the dead were 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defense teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. The mall, which had opened only a week earlier, was in a five-story building that also contained a restaurant and supermarket. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Photographs and videos on local media showed the building fully engulfed in flames. Provincial Governor Mohammed al-Mayyeh in a statement declared three days of mourning. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation but that legal cases were filed against the building owner and mall owner. He did not specify what the charges were. "We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident," al-Mayyeh said. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he said. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the site of the fire to investigate and take measures to prevent a recurrence. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 to 92 people was determined to have been fueled by highly flammable, low-cost type of "sandwich panel" cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames.
