‘A tragedy and a calamity have befallen us,” the Wasit province governor says.
At least 61 people have been killed and several more are missing in a huge fire at a hypermarket in Kut city in eastern Iraq, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry.
The ministry said on Thursday that 14 charred bodies had been found in the mall fire in the Wasit governorate and that civil defence teams had rescued 45 people from inside the building.
Earlier, a city health official told Reuters news agency: “We have compiled a list of 59 victims whose identities have been confirmed, but one body was so badly burned that it has been extremely difficult to identify.”
Videos on social media showed flames engulfing a five-storey building in Kut overnight, where firefighters were trying to contain the fire.
Hypermarket in Kut city in eastern Iraq [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]
The mall, which had opened only a week earlier, also contained a restaurant and supermarket. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing
The Wasit province governor, Mohammed al-Mayahi, said the fire broke out in both the hypermarket and a restaurant. Families were having dinner and shopping, he said. Firefighters rescued a number of people and put out the fire, the governor added.
Three days of mourning have been announced and an investigation has been launched. Investigation results will be released within 48 hours.
“A tragedy and a calamity have befallen us,” the governor said.
“We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall,” INA quoted the governor as saying.
