60-Plus Dead in Fire at New Shopping Center in Iraq

A fire engulfed a newly opened shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing more than 60 people, including children, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Civil defense teams rescued more than 45 people who became trapped when the fire broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in Wasit province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Others are still missing, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

• Photographs and videos on local media showed the five-story Corniche Hypermarket Mall engulfed in flames only a week after it had opened, the AP reports. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials and residents alleged that a lack of fire safety measures in the building contributed to the scale of the tragedy.

• An Iraqi medical official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity said the final death toll was 63, including 18 bodies that could not be identified due to the severity of the burns and would undergo DNA testing.
• The fire started on the second floor, in an area selling perfume and cosmetics, the state news agency said.
• The fire was deeply painful for the community, said 60-year-old Kut resident Abdul Redha Thahab. "My friend and neighbor's family, who lived right next to my house—a family of six, the husband, his wife, their two daughters, and two young children—all perished in the fire," he said.
• Provincial Gov. Mohammed al-Miyahi declared three days of mourning, with Iraq's Cabinet later following suit. He said legal cases were filed against the building owner and shopping center owner, but 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," al-Miyahi said.