A devastating fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 63 people and injuring 40, local authorities confirmed on Thursday. Families of victims gathered in grief, desperately searching for missing loved ones.
Officials reported that most victims suffocated in bathrooms, while one man told AFP that five of his relatives died inside a lift. The blaze began late on Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before quickly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall.
Although the cause remains unconfirmed, one survivor said an air conditioner exploded shortly before the fire spread.
Dozens of people had visited the mall for shopping and dinner just days after its opening in Kut, around 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Several families reportedly lost all members who had gone out for the evening.
Footage circulating on social media showed people, including children, trapped on the roof and calling for help. An AFP reporter witnessed charred bodies at the province’s forensic department, where grieving families waited for identification news.
Ali Kadhim, 51, said he had spent hours shuttling between the mall and the main hospital, searching for his cousin, his cousin’s wife, and their three children. “We don’t know what happened to them,” he said as he waited while rescue teams combed through the wreckage.
The fire left the building’s facade severely blackened, but firefighters eventually contained the blaze. The Ministry of Interior confirmed in a statement that the fire “claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms,” and added that 14 charred bodies remain unidentified.
‘We couldn’t escape’
INA, the official Iraqi news agency, later updated the death toll to 63, citing a medical source. Wasit Governor Mohammed al-Miyahi confirmed that the victims included men, women, and children, with many bodies still unidentified.
Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people trapped in the building, which housed a restaurant and supermarket. Hospitals in Kut struggled to cope with the influx of victims, while distraught relatives collapsed in sorrow outside forensic facilities.
Dr Nasir al-Quraishi, in his 50s, lost five relatives in the fire. “We went to the mall to have some food and escape power cuts,” he said. “An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted — and we couldn’t escape.”
Neglected safety standards blamed
Moataz Karim, 45, rushed to the scene at midnight, learning that three relatives were missing. Hours later, he identified the charred remains of two of them—one had only started working at the mall three days earlier.
“There is no fire extinguishing system,” he said in frustration.
Fires are common in Iraq due to neglected safety regulations and deteriorating infrastructure following decades of conflict. Blistering summer temperatures nearing 50°C increase fire risk. In September 2023, a wedding hall fire killed at least 100 people. Another blaze in July 2021 in a hospital’s COVID-19 unit killed more than 60.
Governor Miyahi said the local government would sue the mall’s owner and building contractor. “The tragedy is a major shock and demands a serious review of all safety measures,” he stated.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced a three-day national mourning period and ordered a “thorough investigation” into the cause of the fire to address any failings.
Condolences poured in from several nations, including Egypt, Iran, France, and the United States. The US Embassy in Baghdad expressed its “deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims.”