61 killed, several injured in massive fire at newly opened mall in Iraq's Kut | Watch

Iraq fire kills 50

Around 61 people were killed or injured after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, just five days after its opening, state media reported on Thursday, citing AFP. Initial reports indicate the blaze started on the mall’s first floor.

"The number of victims has reached about 50 people, martyrs and injured, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre", the Wasit province governor, Mohammed al-Miyahi, told the official INA news agency.

بالفيديو | واسط : هذا ما تبقى من "هايبر ماركت الكوت" الذي أتت عليه النيران بالكامل ، بعد أيام قليلة من افتتاحه#قناة_الغدير_الخبر_في_لحظاتpic.twitter.com/QqOQ1OVCSY

— قناة الغدير (@alghadeer_tv) July 16, 2025

The blaze at the Hyper Mall broke out late Wednesday, but the cause has yet to be identified, said Miyahi. Ambulances were still transporting casualties as late as 4:00 am, filling beds of a hospital in Kut, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

Miyahi declared three days of mourning in the province and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the building and mall owner.

(With agency inputs)