Al-Kut, Iraq – July 17: A massive fire at a hypermarket in the city of Al-Kut, eastern Iraq, has claimed the lives of at least 50 people, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing the governor of Wasit province, Mohammed Al-Miyahi, as quoted by the state-owned Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Videos shared on social media, which could not be independently verified, showed the fire raging throughout the night in the five-story building as firefighters battled to bring it under control. The exact cause of the inferno remains unclear.
Governor Al-Miyahi stated that preliminary findings from the investigation are expected to be released within 48 hours, according to the Reuters report. “We have filed a case against the owner of the building and the mall,” the governor was quoted by INA as saying.
The governor described the incident as “a catastrophe and a tragedy that happened to us,” noting that families were eating and shopping when the fire broke out. Ambulances transported victims to hospitals in Al-Kut, located approximately 160 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, until 4:00 AM, overwhelming hospital bed capacity.
He added that firefighters managed to rescue a number of people and eventually extinguished the blaze.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and have declared three days of mourning in the province.
