Latest news with #CornicheHypermarketMall
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Express Tribune
Iraq shopping mall fire kills more than 60
A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said Thursday as grief-stricken families buried their loved ones. Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP his five relatives died in an elevator. The blaze — the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected — broke out late on Wednesday and lasted into the early morning. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded on the second floor before rapidly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall in flames. A civil defence spokesperson told state media that the fire erupted in the perfume and cosmetics section on the second floor. Most victims were on the upper floors, while many on the ground floor managed to escape, he said. Several people told AFP they lost family members — and in some cases whole families — who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened in Kut, around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. Yasser al-Mulla, who went to the holy of Najaf to bury his relatives, told AFP "in the midst of the horror and intensity, people began to flee upwards instead of down". "It is a tragedy." The interior ministry said in a statement that "the tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms." Most of the victims were later buried in the holy city of Najaf, around 150 kilometres (95 miles) southwest of Kut, an AFP correspondent said. Local health official Jabar al-Yassiri said later in a press conference that the remains of 18 people were yet to be identified. An AFP correspondent reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department. Ali Kadhim, 51, said he had been shuttling between the mall and the main hospital, where the victims were taken, looking for his cousin, his wife and their three children. Back at the mall, he waited anxiously as rescuers searched for victims in the wreckage, with an ambulance on standby. "We don't know what happened to them," he said. Wasit provincial governor Mohammed al-Miyahi told INA the victims included men, women and children. Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said. The ward of the main hospital was overwhelmed, while an AFP correspondent witnessed distraught relatives waiting at the forensic department for news, some collapsing in grief.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
More than 60 dead in Iraq shopping mall inferno 'after air conditioner explodes'
At least 61 people have died after a huge fire ripped through a shopping mall in Iraq, with a survivor saying the inferno began after an air conditioning unit exploded. Officials have launched an investigation into the blaze at the newly-opened six-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut, where men, women and children were said to be shopping last night. The blaze reportedly began on the first floor of the building before tearing through the entire block, with horrifying video showing the block engulfed by flames and smoke. Harrowing footage circulating on social media appears to show people on the roof as the flames rose up the building. It is unclear whether they were rescued. Firefighters rescued a number of people from the building, local media reports. Ambulances were still taking casualties to hospital until 4am local time. Chilling pictures of the aftermath this morning show the building completely blackened and burned out, with firefighters still at the scene. Searches were continuing for the missing in the building's wreckage this morning. A medical source said there are 'many unidentified bodies,' with the dead said to include men, women and children. Iraq's interior ministry said in a statement: 'The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified.' The blaze tore through the newly-opened six-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall last night Aerial footage of the fire shows how it spread quickly through the shopping mall as people watched in horror Officials have launched an investigation into the blaze at the newly-opened six-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the five-storey building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said. The blaze broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the building. It is just the latest disaster in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected. The cause of last night's tragedy was not immediately known, but one survivor said that an air conditioner had exploded. Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals as late as 4:00 am, with wards in Kut - around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad - overwhelmed. An AFP correspondent said the mall had only opened five days earlier and reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department. Though the fire was eventually contained, firefighters continued searching for missing victims. Videos posted on social media showed distraught relatives waiting at the hospital for news, some collapsing in grief. One man sat on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, 'Oh my father, oh my heart'. Dozens of people gathered outside the hospital checking ambulances as they arrived, some of them overcome with emotion. One of them, Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. 'A disaster has befallen us,' he told AFP. 'We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. 'An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted - and we couldn't escape.' Governor Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. 'The tragedy is a major shock... and requires a serious review of all safety measures,' he said. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a 'thorough probe' into the fire to identify 'shortcomings' and prevent further incidents. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Shiite Islam's highest authority in Iraq, offered condolences to the victims' families. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people.
eNCA
6 days ago
- eNCA
Iraq shopping mall fire kills more than 60
BAGHDAD - A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said Thursday as grief-stricken families searched for missing relatives. Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP his five relatives died in an elevator. The blaze the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Several people told AFP they lost family members and in some cases whole families who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened in Kut, around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. Footage shared on social media showed people including children standing on the roof, calling for help. An AFP correspondent reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department. AFP | AHMAD AL-RUBAYE Ali Kadhim, 51, said he had been shuttling between the mall and the main hospital, where the victims were taken, looking for his cousin, who is missing along with his wife and three children. Back at the mall, he waited anxiously as rescuers searched for victims in the wreckage, with an ambulance on standby. "We don't know what happened to them," he said. An AFP correspondent at the scene said the blaze had been contained and the front of the building was severely charred. The interior ministry said in a statement that "the tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified". - 'We couldn't escape' - The official INA news agency later quoted a medical source who put the toll at 63 dead and 40 injured. Wasit provincial governor Mohammed al-Miyahi told INA the victims included men, women and children. A medical source in Kut told AFP there were "many unidentified bodies". AFP | Christy-Belle GEHA The ward of the main hospital was overwhelmed, while elsewhere, an AFP correspondent witnessed distraught relatives waiting at the forensic department for news, some collapsing in grief. One man fell apart, pounding his chest and screaming. Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. "A disaster has befallen us," he told AFP. "We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. "An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted -- and we couldn't escape." - Lax safety regulations - Moataz Karim, 45, rushed to the mall at midnight, only to be met with the devastating news that three of his relatives were missing. Hours later, he identified the charred bodies of two relatives, one of whom had begun working at the shopping centre three days ago. AFP | AHMAD AL-RUBAYE "There is no fire extinguishing system," he said angrily, as he waited for further news outside the forensic department. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, often experiences fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people. Governor Miyahi said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. "The tragedy is a major shock... and requires a serious review of all safety measures," he said. The government declared three days of mourning. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a "thorough probe" into the fire to identify "shortcomings" and prevent further incidents. Several countries, including Egypt, Iran and France, offered condolences to Iraq and the victims' families. The US embassy in Baghdad likewise offered "its deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims".
South Wales Guardian
6 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Dozens dead after fire at shopping centre in Iraq
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 in the province of Wasit. Among the dead were 14 bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defence teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. Photographs and videos on local media showed the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, a five-story shopping centre that had opened only a week earlier, fully engulfed in flames. 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 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 shopping centre 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,' he said. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he added. 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.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
A fire at a shopping center in eastern Iraq kills more than 60 people
KUT, Iraq — A fire engulfed a newly opened shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing more than 60 people, including children, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Civil defense teams rescued more than 45 people who became trapped when the fire broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in Wasit province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Others are still missing, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency. Photographs and videos on local media showed the five-story Corniche Hypermarket Mall engulfed in flames only a week after it had opened. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials and residents alleged that a lack of fire safety measures in the building contributed to the scale of the tragedy. Iraq's Interior Ministry said in a statement that 61 people died in the shopping center fire, most of them from suffocation. Among the dead were 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified, it said. The fire was deeply painful for the community, said 60-year-old Kut resident Abdul Redha Thahab, 'My friend and neighbor's family, who lived right next to my house — a family of six, the husband, his wife, their two daughters, and two young children — all perished in the fire,' he said. Provincial Gov. Mohammed al-Miyahi declared three days of mourning. He said legal cases were filed against the building owner and shopping center owner, but 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. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, al-Miyahi called the fire 'a heartbreaking tragedy for the people of Wasit' and alleged that the building owner had not implemented the necessary fire safety measures when he converted it into a shopping center. He said that no government official has resigned or been dismissed as a result of the fire, and that they are currently awaiting the results of the investigation. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he said. The building owner could not immediately be reached for comment. 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. Thahab, the Kut resident, said the building lacked fire safety measures, including emergency exit stairways. Residents of the neighborhood had joined firefighters in battling the blaze because there were not enough fire trucks to quickly control it, he said. Some of the victims came from farther afield. In the southern city of Najaf, Imad al-Quraishi walked in the funeral procession of a relative who died in the blaze. Like others, he blamed poor safety standards. 'No emergency exits, no fire extinguisher, no care, nothing,' he said, adding that if the authorities in the area 'have any honor, they will submit their resignation today.' Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani visited the site of the fire Thursday. He did not speak publicly at the site, but said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to investigate and take measures to prevent a recurrence. Abdul-Zahra and Abdul-Hassan write for the Associated Press. Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad. AP journalist Ali Sadiq in Najaf contributed to this report.
