At least 61 people have been killed in a fire at a hypermarket in the Iraqi city of Kut, with many of the victims dying from suffocation inside rooms filled with smoke.
Iraq's Interior Ministry said more than 45 others had been rescued, while 14 bodies recovered from the scene remained unidentified.
“The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms,” the ministry said.
Mohammed Al Mayahi, the Governor of Wasit province, of which Kut is the capital, announced a three-day mourning period after the “tragic fire in one of the commercial centres” on Wednesday night.
The cause of the blaze was electrical failure, the head of the Wasit provincial council's security committee Habib Al Badri told The National. “The building violates safety requirements,” he added, saying the fire started from the second floor and went up to the fifth.
Exacerbating the situation, he said, was that the civil defence “didn't have modern equipment to contain the fire, therefore they used construction cranes from contractors”.
At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said the fire “occurred due to the same mistakes” seen in previous tragedies, according to a statement from his office. He blamed “the same negligence and leniency in health and safety conditions”.
Mr Al Sudani described the latest incident as a “form of murder and corruption”, saying it “requires deterrent and punitive measures”.
The cabinet also agreed to compensate the families of the victims with 10 million Iraqi dinar (about $7,000) each and ordered the Health Ministry to treat the injured abroad if needed.
Videos on social media showed flames engulfing the five-storey hypermarket, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air as panicked shoppers rushed to escape. Firefighters raced to extinguish the blaze and rescue those trapped inside.
Families, many with young children, were seen fleeing the scene, some clutching babies as they coughed and covered their faces to shield themselves from the smoke. Others were trapped on the upper floors.
On Thursday morning, grieving families gathered outside the city's main hospital and morgue to collect the bodies of their loved ones. Women were wailing and beating their chests in grief.
Nasir Al Quraishi, a doctor in his fifties, said he lost five family members in the fire.
“A disaster has befallen us,” he told the AFP news agency. “We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home.
“An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted – and we couldn't escape.”
Safety standards in the construction sector are frequently flouted in Iraq, with accidents common. Widespread corruption and weak government monitoring have been blamed for the lack of standards in many areas of the country.
High-profile disasters in recent years include hospital fires that have led to hundreds of deaths, with these incidents blamed on poor storage of medical oxygen cylinders, faulty electrical wiring and a general lack of safety measures.
In September 2023, a devastating fire at a wedding left more than 100 people dead in the predominantly Christian district of Al Hamdaniyah, also known as Qaraqosh, to the east of Mosul, when about 1,000 guests were packed into a hall.
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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Specs
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Match info
Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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