A fire engulfed a shopping mall in Kut, eastern Iraq, overnight, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 people. Medical sources informed AFP on Thursday that “We have more than 50 martyrs, and many unidentified bodies.” An official with Wasit province’s health department stated the toll was 55 dead, with rescuers still searching for missing victims.
Earlier, Wasit province governor Mohammed al-Miyahi had told the official INA news agency that “the number of victims has reached 50 people, martyrs and injured, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre.”
The blaze reportedly started on the first floor of the Hyper Mall late Wednesday and quickly spread. While the cause is not yet known, one survivor told AFP that an “air conditioner had exploded.”
Ambulances transported casualties to hospitals in Kut, about 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad, until 4:00 AM, filling hospital wards. An AFP correspondent noted that the mall had only opened five days prior and observed charred bodies at the hospital.
The fire has been contained, but firefighters continue to search for victims. Social media videos showed distressed relatives at the hospital, with some collapsing in grief. One man was seen “sitting on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, ‘Oh my father, oh my heart’.” Dozens gathered, checking arriving ambulances, some falling to the ground in agony.
Iraq’s construction sector often disregards safety standards, and the country’s dilapidated infrastructure, a result of decades of conflict, frequently experiences fatal fires and accidents. Fires are particularly common during the blistering summer, when temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). Previous incidents include a September 2023 wedding hall fire that killed at least 100 people and a July 2021 hospital fire in a COVID unit that claimed over 60 lives.
