The affected building. Photo credit: Al Jazeera
A newly opened, five-story shopping mall in Kut, eastern Iraq, was engulfed in a devastating fire late Wednesday, claiming the lives of at least 61 people, including women and children, and leaving dozens more injured or missing. The tragic incident at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall has plunged the city into mourning and reignited a critical debate over lax safety standards and inadequate infrastructure in Iraq.
The fire, believed to have originated on the first floor, quickly engulfed the five-story building. Witnesses described a horrifying scene, with flames consuming the building throughout the night as firefighters desperately battled to control the inferno. Social media videos showed desperate individuals, including children, on the roof, pleading for help as smoke billowed from the building.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that most victims succumbed to smoke inhalation, with many found in bathrooms where they had sought refuge from the dense smoke. Among the confirmed fatalities, 14 bodies were so severely charred that identification has proven difficult. More than 45 individuals, stuck inside the mall, were safely brought out by civil defense units. The building also contained a restaurant and a supermarket. Ambulances continued to ferry casualties to local hospitals into the early hours of Thursday, overwhelming medical facilities in Kut, located approximately 160 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.
The governor of Wasit province, Mohammed al-Miyahi, has declared three days of mourning. He stated that legal action has been initiated against the mall's owner and the building contractor, vowing that authorities "will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident." Preliminary findings on the fire’s cause are expected within 48 hours. One survivor reported an air conditioner explosion on the second floor as a possible trigger.
Grieving relatives gathered outside hospitals, some collapsing in anguish. Dr. Nasir al-Quraishi, who lost five family members, shared that they had gone to the mall to escape power cuts at home. Another distraught family member criticized the lack of fire safety systems and emergency exits.
This tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly fires that highlight poor building practices and oversight in Iraq. Similar incidents include the 2021 fire in a Nasiriyah hospital’s COVID-19 ward that killed over 60, and a 2023 wedding hall blaze in Hamdaniya that claimed more than 100 lives.
Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has ordered a full investigation, and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani offered condolences. In response, multiple Iraqi provinces launched fire safety campaigns and stricter inspections of public venues to address systemic risks.