So far, 61 people have died, and nearly a dozen are still missing after a devastating fire erupted in a shopping mall in Iraq, according to PEOPLE and CNN. The inferno ripped through this mall on Wednesday, July 16, inside a Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut.
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Devastating Mall Fire In Iraq Kills At Least 61 People
These 61 victims include men, women, and children, who all perished in the blaze at this five-story mall. Iraq’s Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday morning that they have since rescued dozens from the burning building.
“This heartbreaking fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom died from suffocation in the bathrooms due to the heavy smoke,” said the Interior Ministry in a translated Facebook statement. They still have 14 unidentified “charred bodies” of unknown victims.
“Despite the physicality of the situation, the civil defense teams managed to rescue more than (45) people who were trapped inside the building with heroic effort and high dedication,” it added.
According to the BBC, this shopping center had only been open for five days prior to the fire. This mall contained a hypermarket and a restaurant. Photos and video footage of the incident showed firefighters tackling the blaze and rescuing people.
The regional governor, Mohammed al-Miyahi, declared the region would have three days of mourning. “A tragedy and a calamity has befallen us,” said al-Miyahi. He also said they would be taking legal action against the shopping mall’s owner.
As firefighters continued their rescue efforts, ambulances consistently transported affected individuals to hospitals across the city around 4:00 AM local time. This was around 100 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, the interior minister, revealed that a high-level investigative group would “identify all points of failure and responsibility” to hold any negligent party accountable for this disaster.
“We will not show leniency toward those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident, which is surrounded by suspicious circumstances,” said the governor. “We will announce the preliminary findings of the investigation to the public within 48 hours.”
The Guardian reported on the location where the blaze likely started. The fire allegedly broke out late Wednesday somewhere on the first floor. This was before it quickly engulfed the rest of the shopping center.