Latest news with #MohammadShiaal-Sudani
Euronews
4 days ago
- Euronews
Video. Newly opened mall in Iraq destroyed by fire, killing dozens
A devastating fire that tore through a five-storey shopping centre in the Iraqi city of Kut has killed at least 61 people, including women and children, officials say. The blaze broke out late Wednesday at the Corniche Hypermarket, just a week after its opening. Most victims reportedly died from suffocation, and some bodies remain unidentified. Firefighters rescued more than 45 people, some from the mall's roof, as flames tore through the building, which housed a supermarket and restaurant. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and legal cases have been filed against the mall and building owners. Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has ordered an inquiry, while the provincial governor has declared three days of mourning.
South Wales Guardian
5 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Dozens dead after fire at shopping centre in Iraq
Iraq's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in the province of Wasit. Among the dead were 14 bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defence teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. Photographs and videos on local media showed the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, a five-story shopping centre that had opened only a week earlier, fully engulfed in flames. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Photographs and videos on local media showed the building fully engulfed in flames. Provincial governor Mohammed al-Mayyeh declared three days of mourning. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation but that legal cases were filed against the building owner and shopping centre owner. He did not specify what the charges were. 'We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident,' he said. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he added. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the site of the fire to investigate.
DW
5 days ago
- DW
Iraq: Fire engulfs new shopping mall, killing dozens – DW – 07/17/2025
A fire tore through every floor of a newly opened multi-story shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing at least 61. Officials have filed legal charges against the building owner and the mall owner. A fire at a five-story shopping mall in eastern Iraq has killed at least 61 people, including children, according to a statement from Iraq's Ministry of Interior on Thursday morning. Photos on social media show the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, in the city of Kut in Wasit province, engulfed in flames on Wednesday. Most people died from suffocation, the government statement said. Among the dead, 14 charred bodies remain unidentified, it said. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani visited the site Thursday morning, after having ordered an immediate investigation to "uncover any shortcomings." Residents in the neighborhood joined firefighters in battling the blaze at the mall that had only opened a week earlier. The Ministry of Interior said that civil defense teams rescued at least 45 people who were trapped in the building due to the fire. While the cause of the blaze was not yet known, the initial police report suggested the fire began on the floor where perfumes and cosmetics were sold, the Reuters news agency reported. As of Thursday morning, rescue teams and other emergency personnel were still at the scene. Provincial Governor Mohammed al-Miyahi said that legal cases were filed against the building owner and the shopping center owner, but did not specify the charges. Al-Miyahi also declared three days of mourning, with people in the community sharing stories about losing their loved ones who had simply gone out to the mall to shop and dine. While an official investigation is underway, officials and residents allege that a lack of fire safety measures in the building contributed to the scale of the tragedy. Poor building standards and a lack of enforcement of safety regulations hav presented a challenge to authorities. In 2023, more than 100 people died after a fire broke out at a wedding hall in northern Iraq. The hall was covered with highly flammable Ecobond panels that violated safety laws. In July 2021, a fire at a COVID-19 unit at a hospital in Baghdad killed more than 60 people.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
At least 61 dead, 45 rescued in huge fire at hypermarket in Iraq's Kut
At least 61 people have been killed and several more are missing in a huge fire at a hypermarket in Kut city in eastern Iraq, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The ministry said on Thursday that 14 charred bodies had been found in the mall fire in the Wasit governorate and that civil defence teams had rescued 45 people from inside the building. Earlier, a city health official told Reuters news agency: '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.' Videos on social media showed flames engulfing a five-storey building in Kut overnight, where firefighters were trying to contain the fire. The mall, which had opened only a week earlier, also contained a restaurant and supermarket. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the site of the fire to investigate and take measures to prevent a recurrence. The Wasit province governor, Mohammed al-Mayahi, said the fire broke out in both the hypermarket and a restaurant. Families were having dinner and shopping, he said. Firefighters rescued a number of people and put out the fire, the governor added. Three days of mourning have been announced and an investigation has been launched. Investigation results will be released within 48 hours. 'A tragedy and a calamity have befallen us,' the governor said. 'We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall,' INA quoted the governor as saying. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in Nasiriyah that killed more than 60 people was determined to have been fuelled by highly flammable, low-cost type of 'sandwich panel' cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 died in a fire at a wedding hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames. Solve the daily Crossword
Powys County Times
6 days ago
- Powys County Times
Dozens dead after fire at shopping centre in Iraq
A fire at a newly opened shopping centre in eastern Iraq has killed more than 60 people, including women and children, Iraqi officials said. Iraq's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in the province of Wasit. Among the dead were 14 bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defence teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. Photographs and videos on local media showed the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, a five-story shopping centre that had opened only a week earlier, fully engulfed in flames. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Photographs and videos on local media showed the building fully engulfed in flames. Provincial governor Mohammed al-Mayyeh declared three days of mourning. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation but that legal cases were filed against the building owner and shopping centre owner. He did not specify what the charges were. 'We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident,' he said. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he added. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the site of the fire to investigate.
