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AT least 60 people have died after a massive fire ripped through a high-rise supermarket in Iraq.
The raging inferno engulfed the newly opened five-storey Hyper Mall in the city of Kut, which was packed with shoppers at the time.
The blaze broke out late on Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly reaching the top of the building.
Devastating pictures and videos on local media showed flames engulfing the building leaving people trapped on the roof.
Though the fire was eventually contained, firefighters continued searching for survivors.
Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the five-storey building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said.
“The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified,” an official statement read.
The mall is said to have only opened five days earlier.
Dozens of people gathered outside the hospital, checking the ambulances as they arrived.
Videos posted on social media showed distraught relatives waiting at the hospital for news, some collapsing in grief.
One man sat on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, “Oh my father, oh my heart”.
Nasir al-Quraishi, who is a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire.
He added: “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.”
Locals reported seeing charred bodies at the province’s forensic department.
Governor Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall’s owner and the building contractor.
“The tragedy is a major shock… and requires a serious review of all safety measures,” he said.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a “thorough probe” into the fire to identify “shortcomings” and prevent further incidents.
Safety standards in Iraq’s construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents.
In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits.
In July 2021, a fire in the COVID-19 unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people.
