Tragic Fire Hits Baghdad Mall, Toll Reaches 63 Amid Safety Concerns

Baghdad, Jul 18 (AP) Officials are facing challenges identifying over a dozen bodies recovered from a catastrophic fire at a shopping mall in Iraq. This comes as investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.

A confidential Iraqi medical official reported that the death toll has reached 63. Among them, 18 bodies were so severely burned that they require DNA testing for identification.

The fire occurred at the Corniche Hypermarket mall in Kut, Wasit province. The five-story complex, featuring restaurants, shops, and a supermarket, had only opened days before the disaster broke out late Wednesday. The fire ignited on the second floor in a section selling perfume and cosmetics.

Civil defense teams managed to rescue 45 individuals from the inferno. Authorities noted that many of the deceased were trapped on the building's upper levels.

While the exact cause of the fire remains undetermined, officials have attributed the tragedy's magnitude to insufficient safety standards within the building.

Provincial Governor Mohammed al-Miyahi stated that the building's owner failed to implement critical fire safety measures and lacked the necessary permits.

In response, the Wasit provincial council formed inspection committees and temporarily suspended the municipality's director and the director of occupational safety in Kut pending the investigation's outcome.

Governor al-Miyahi revealed that legal actions have been initiated against the building and shopping center proprietors, who were unavailable for comment. He mentioned that the owner’s son and other family members were among the victims.

Poor building standards have repeatedly led to tragic fires in Iraq. A notable incident occurred in July 2021, when a hospital fire in Nasiriyah, thought to be exacerbated by flammable, illegal cladding, claimed between 60 and 92 lives.

In 2023, another substantial fire at a wedding hall in Hamdaniya, a predominantly Christian region in Nineveh province, resulted in over 100 fatalities. This incident was triggered when ceiling panels caught fire above a pyrotechnic device.

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