Latest news with #HyperMall
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 days ago
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
55 dead in Iraq shopping mall fire: Health officials - Region
A fire tore through a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing more than 50 people, medical sources told AFP Thursday. "We have more than 50 martyrs, and many unidentified bodies," a medical source said. An official in the health department of Wasit province put the toll at 55 dead, adding that rescuers are still looking for missing victims. Wasit province governor Mohammed al-Miyahi had earlier told the official INA news agency that "the number of victims has reached 50 people, martyrs and injured, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre". The blaze broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the Hyper Mall. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals as late as 4:00 am, filling the wards of a hospital in Kut, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. An AFP correspondent said the mall had only opened five days earlier and reported seeing charred bodies at the hospital. The fire has since been contained, but firefighters were continuing to search for missing victims. Videos shared on social media showed distraught relatives waiting at the hospital for news, with some collapsing in grief. One man was seen sitting on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, "Oh my father, oh my heart". Dozens of people gathered in front of the hospital checking ambulances as they arrived, and some of them collapsing on the floor in agony. 'We couldn't escape' One of them, Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. "A disaster has befallen us," he told AFP. "We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. "An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted and we couldn't escape." Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. An investigation into the cause was underway, the governor said, adding preliminary findings were expected within 48 hours. "The tragedy is a major shock... and requires a serious review of all safety measures," he said. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE offers condolences to victims of Iraq shopping mall fire
The UAE has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with Iraq over the victims of a fire that broke out in a shopping mall in the city of Kut, killing and injuring dozens. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the Iraqi government over this painful loss, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured. A massive fire in a hypermarket left at least 60 people dead and 11 others missing, the city's health authorities and two police sources told Reuters on Thursday. The blaze broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the Hyper Mall. The cause was not immediately known. The fire has since been contained, but firefighters were continuing to search for missing victims.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
Fire tears through Iraq shopping centre, killing at least 60
A fire has torn through a shopping centre in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, killing at least 60 people, as desperate people searched for missing relatives. Officials have launched an investigation into the blaze, the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected. At least two people said they had lost five relatives who had gone to the newly opened Hyper Mall to shop and eat dinner. The Wasit province governor, Mohammed al-Miyahi, told the state INA news agency that the victims included men, women and children.
Iraqi News
6 days ago
- Health
- Iraqi News
AC blast suspected in deadly Iraq mall fire
Kut – A fire tore through a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing more than 50 people, medical sources told AFP Thursday. 'We have more than 50 martyrs, and many unidentified bodies,' a medical source said. An official in the health department of Wasit province put the toll at 55 dead, adding that rescuers are still looking for missing victims. Wasit province governor Mohammed al-Miyahi had earlier told the official INA news agency that 'the number of victims has reached 50 people, martyrs and injured, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre'. The blaze broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the Hyper Mall. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals as late as 4:00 am, filling the wards of a hospital in Kut, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. An AFP correspondent said the mall had only opened five days earlier and reported seeing charred bodies at the hospital. The fire has since been contained, but firefighters were continuing to search for missing victims. Videos shared on social media showed distraught relatives waiting at the hospital for news, with some collapsing in grief. One man was seen sitting on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, 'Oh my father, oh my heart'. Dozens of people gathered in front of the hospital checking ambulances as they arrived, and some of them collapsing on the floor in agony. One of them, Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. 'A disaster has befallen us,' he told AFP. 'We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. 'An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted and we couldn't escape.' Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. An investigation into the cause was underway, the governor said, adding preliminary findings were expected within 48 hours. 'The tragedy is a major shock… and requires a serious review of all safety measures,' he said. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people.
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt condoles Iraq over victims of mall fire in Kut - Foreign Affairs
Egypt extended Thursday its deepest condolences to Iraq following a devastating fire in the eastern city of Kut, which claimed dozens of lives and left many others injured. At least 55 people were killed and dozens more injured when a massive fire broke out late Wednesday at the newly opened Hyper Mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, about 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. The blaze began on the first floor and rapidly engulfed the building. While the exact cause remains under investigation, an air conditioner explosion is believed to have triggered the fire. According to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Egypt also reaffirmed its full solidarity with Iraq, wishing the injured a swift recovery. Iraq frequently witnesses deadly accidents and fires, particularly during the sweltering summer months when temperatures soar to nearly 50°C (122°F). Tragic incidents in recent years include a 2023 inferno at a packed wedding hall that left over 100 people dead, and a 2021 hospital fire in a southern city that claimed more than 60 lives in a COVID-19 ward. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
