Fire at mall in Iraq leaves at least 60 dead, officials say
BAGHDAD - A massive fire in a hypermarket in al-Kut city in eastern Iraq has left at least 60 people dead and 11 others missing, the city's health authorities and two police sources told Reuters on Thursday.
Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing a five-storey building in al-Kut overnight as firefighters tried to contain the blaze.
Reuters could not independently verify the videos.
"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," a city health official told Reuters.
"We have more bodies that have not been recovered still under fire debris," city official Ali al-Mayahi told Reuters.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the province's governor said initial results from an investigation would be announced within 48 hours, the state news agency (INA)reported.
"We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall," INA quoted the governor as saying. REUTERS
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail
Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore
Singapore HSA launches anti-vaping checks near 5 institutes of higher learning
Singapore Kpod vapes, zombie kids: Why it's time to raise the alarm
Singapore Care model to improve trauma outcome in central S'pore fashioned after 'bicycle wheel'
Life 11 new entries on Singapore's Bib Gourmand list, including three re-entries at Old Airport Road
Singapore 15 under police probe for sharing Singpass credentials used in scams
Singapore NEA monitoring E. coli at Sentosa beaches after elevated bacteria levels delay World Aquatics events
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Violence in Mexican state of Sinaloa continues one year after 'El Mayo' Zambada's arrest in US
Members of the National Guard guard a crime scene where a man was gunned down, as violence and economic turmoil escalate in Culiacan one year after the abduction and extradition of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael \"El Mayo\" Zambada to the United States, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jesus Bustamante Culiacan, Mexico - The street vendor said the few tourists who still visit Culiacan no longer look for posters of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and accused drug kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, once the Mexican city's most famous residents. The posters, which for years were in high demand, have become symbolic of a spike in horrific violence sparked by an alleged betrayal that led to Zambada's arrest one year ago and fueled fighting within the Sinaloa cartel. "I imagine that at some point in my life, tourism will return to Culiacan," said Jazmin, who now sells a smattering of magnets, keychains, and mugs. She declined to share her last name because of the constant threat of violence in this once-bustling city of 1 million people. Friday marks one year since Zambada, one of Mexico's most infamous accused drug lords, was arrested at an airfield near El Paso, Texas, along with one of El Chapo's sons, Joaquin Guzman Lopez. Zambada says El Chapo's son, Joaquin, kidnapped him and turned him over to U.S. agents. The alleged betrayal was shocking. Prosecutors allege Zambada and "El Chapo" founded the Sinaloa cartel and represented different factions of the criminal organization. The arrests sparked a break in the group and triggered a wave of violence that continues. During the first six months of this year, authorities registered 883 homicides in Sinaloa compared to 224 during the same period a year earlier. The vast majority happened in Culiacan. The homicides may be just the beginning. Authorities say more than 1,500 people have gone missing in Sinaloa since September 2024, after Zambada's arrest. Security officials say criminal groups were involved in many of the disappearances. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia Recap: Evacuees recount explosions and separations as Thai-Cambodia clashes continue for second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly "Life in Culiacan is no longer the same," said a local official who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. "There are no more parties here due to fear," he said, adding that schools prefer to hold classes online instead of in person. Security analysts say violence in the state is at the highest level since the last major split between criminal groups in 2008, when the Sinaloa cartel broke an alliance with the Beltran Leyva brothers' cartel. "It's one thing to break a pact through betrayal, as happened then, and another to hand over an important partner, as happened last year," said Tomas Guevara, an expert on security issues in Sinaloa, referring to Zambada's alleged abduction. "The situation is more gruesome these days,' he added. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has struggled to control the spiraling violence, sending thousands of heavily armed soldiers to Sinaloa to patrol the area, along with helicopters, armored vehicles, high-caliber weapons, and drones. Still, the discovery of corpses continues, sometimes piled up by the dozens. Bodies have been hung from bridges and mutilated with messages of revenge between rival groups. U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Mexican authorities are "petrified" of the drug cartels and alleged they have enormous control in the country and over Mexican politicians. Sheinbaum said those allegations are blatantly untrue. Mexican Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said on Sunday during a visit to Sinaloa that the government's priority is "restoring peace to families." Zambada said in February he was willing to plead guilty to charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons possession if U.S. prosecutors take the death penalty off the table. REUTERS
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
France's top court says arrest warrant for Assad is invalid, new one can be issued
FILE PHOTO: A billboard with a picture of Syria's Bashar al-Assad shows damage by bullet holes, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo PARIS - France's highest court ruled on Friday that an arrest warrant for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was invalid as it was issued when he was still in office, but said a new warrant can now be issued as he is no longer a sitting head of state. French investigating magistrates issued the warrant in November 2023 following a French investigation into chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian city of Douma and Eastern Ghouta district in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people. Then-President Assad's government denied using chemical weapons during the country's civil war that began in 2011. Assad was toppled last December by Islamist rebels whose leader is now the interim president. The Court of Cassation's decision overturns one made by the Paris Court of Appeal, which ruled last year that the warrant was valid. Prosecutors, who would need to ask police to carry out the warrant, challenged its validity. "International custom does not allow any exception to the personal immunity of a foreign head of state during the entire duration of their term in office, even when the alleged acts constitute genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity," the Court of Cassation said in a statement. "The arrest warrant issued at a time when this person was the head of state of Syria is therefore invalid ... However, an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity can now be issued since this person no longer holds the position of Head of State." 'MISSED OPPORTUNITY' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Mariana Pena, senior legal officer at Open Society Justice Initiative which helped gather evidence against Assad, described the court's ruling as "a missed opportunity for justice." But she said the fact that France's top court had agreed to hear the case signalled a growing willingness to challenge immunity. This, she said, was also reflected in "today's decision which leaves the door open to the prosecution of Assad" now that he is no longer in office. Separately, French officials issued a warrant in January against Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes, notably the launch of a deliberate attack on civilians, as part of a inquiry into the case of Salah Abou Nabour, a Franco-Syrian national, who was killed in 2017 in a bombing strike in Syria. Assad fled to Russia in December 2024 when insurgent forces swept through the country in a rapid offensive, ending over 50 years of rule by his family. While arrest warrants against sitting heads of state are rare due to immunity protection, international law has exceptions when that leader is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide. France allows the filing of crimes against humanity cases in its courts. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Thai Army clarifies use of cluster munitions, insists they are aimed at military targets only
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Damage from a fire caused by Cambodian artillery at a 7-11 convenience store is seen at a PTT gas station in Thailand on July 25. SURIN - Major-General Winthai Suwaree, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, on July 25 addressed Cambodia's allegations that Thailand had used cluster munitions. He clarified that cluster munitions are used only when necessary to target military objectives, enhancing the ability to destroy such targets. He explained that once the main shell hits the target, the submunitions inside will detonate sequentially. These munitions, however, are not anti-personnel landmines and have no long-term impact on civilians after use. Regarding the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use, production, and stockpiling of cluster weapons, he stated that the treaty does not bind Thailand as the country is not a signatory, just like several other nations, including the United States and Russia. The Royal Thai Army reaffirmed that its military actions follow the principle of 'proportionality' and that cluster munitions are used exclusively to target military objectives. THE NATION/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
