Fire at Iraq mall kills 69, prime minister orders probe
Reuters' footage of the aftermath of the overnight fire showed the blackened exterior of "Corniche Hypermarket" building, with rescue teams and security forces still at the site.
Videos verified by Reuters showed firefighters spraying water on the blazing building overnight and people climbing from the roof with the help of rescue teams.
"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 an initial police report suggested that the fire had first erupted on the floor where perfumes and cosmetics are sold.
"Raging fires trapped many people inside the mall, and everyone was desperately trying to find a way out," said Ali Al-Zargani, whose house is next to the market building and who entered the premises after the fire had subsided.
"I saw the charred bodies of children and women lying on the ground — it was a horrifying scene."
While some of the bodies were prepared for burial, with mourners weeping and praying over the coffins, the remains of more than 15 severely burned victims required DNA testing for identification, a Reuters witness said.
As rescuers combed the smoke-charred building for more bodies, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an immediate investigation to "uncover any shortcomings", his office said in a statement.
A statement from his office called for national mourning.
The provincial governor said initial results from an investigation would be announced within 48 hours, the INA state news agency reported.
"We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall," INA quoted the governor as saying.
A lack of safety measures in Iraq has led to large death tolls in fires. In 2023, more than 100 people were killed after a fire swept through a crowded wedding hall in a northern town.
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Throughout his life Dog has been blighted by a series of cruel tragedies, including years of horrific abuse at the hands of his vile father, and the heartbreak of losing two children, his first wife, and now his young grandson. As a child growing up in Denver, Colorado, Dog endured regular beatings with a wooden paddle from his dad - a deeply religious and battle-hardened US army officer. If the idea was to toughen the boy up, it worked. I had lost my bounty hunting enthusiasm after Beth, and then I looked at Francine and she said 'I'll love you forever,' and I said I'll love you too. I knew in my heart there was someone that was going to pray for me and say, 'Be good, Dog.' And all of a sudden, I felt like Dog again Dog the Bounty Hunter By the time he was 13, Dog had dropped out of school and joined a dangerous motorbike gang called the Disciples. 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'I [falsely] accused my father of raping me when I was 11,' Lyssa admitted later. 'It was a horrible life that I never wanted to go back to, living with him and Beth and the fighting and the drugs. 'When I got to my mother's, although she drank, it was much more peaceful. I was willing to do anything to not go back.' Dog was devastated when Beth left and married his childhood best friend, Keith Barmore, in 1991, and had a daughter, Cecily. "He was a thief with a heroin habit," Dog wrote later. "It just about broke my heart when I heard Beth was dating him. 'When I heard they got married, I got physically sick… Friends told me he was abusing her something awful." Dog wed Tawny Marie in 1992 – but he and Beth continued seeing each other behind their new partners' backs. Beth and Dog got back together in 1995 and she became the youngest licensed bondsman in Colorado at 29. They couple had two more children, Bonnie and Garry, and Dog adopted Cecily. 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A spokesperson for Dog and Francie told TMZ: "We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible tragic accident and would ask for continued prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony."
