CNN
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A huge fire has torn through a commercial building in Iraq’s eastern city of Kut, killing dozens of people, local authorities said Thursday.
About 50 men, women and children died in the overnight blaze, according to Wasit regional governor Mohammed Jameel Al-Mayahi. Local media reports identified the location as the Kut Hypermarket mall.
Video footage shared on Facebook and geolocated by CNN showed a large multistory building in Kut engulfed by flames, with a group of people gathered on the rooftop as firefighters battled the blaze. People were seen calmly filing out of the building, as flames raged directly overhead, in another video posted to X.
Crowds gathered in a fenced area outside an unconfirmed location during daylight hours, with emergency vehicles parked nearby, photos posted on Telegram showed.
Al-Mayahi, the region’s governor, has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the fire.
The cause of the fire is not immediately known but initial results from an investigation will be released within 48 hours, Al-Mayahi said in a post on Facebook. A legal case has been filed against the building owner, he added.
Iraq has witnessed similar deadly incidents in the past, often attributed to a lack of adherence to civil defense regulations, and poor safety measures and electrical short circuits.
In April 2021, a fire at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad claimed the lives of more than 80 patients in a COVID-19 isolation ward when oxygen tanks exploded.
In September 2023, a fire ripped through a wedding hall in Qaraqosh in northern Iraq, killing at least 100 and injuring 150 others.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
