Seven officials arrested over Iraq's shopping center fire
The fire, which erupted late Wednesday at a recently finished retail center in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, is the latest tragic accident in a country where safety laws are frequently disregarded.
After a preliminary inspection, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior identified clear negligence among several officials and employees in Kut.
Besides the seven officials that have been arrested, 17 staff have been suspended from work until further notice over the violations that led to the fire at the shopping center.
The original cause of the shopping center fire remained unknown; however, an eyewitness told AFP that an air conditioner blew on the second floor before the five-story structure was quickly destroyed by flames.
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