According to a statement by the Interior Ministry of Iraq on Thursday morning, at least 61 people, including children, have died, including children, including children.
Photos on social media show cornish hypermarket malls in the city of Wasit province, which are surrounded by flames on Wednesday.
The government said that most people died of suffocation. Among the dead, 14 chartered bodies are united, it said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani Visited site on Thursday morningAfter ordering immediate investigation to “expose any deficiencies”.
Residents of the neighborhood joined the firefiger in the mall struggling with the explosion which were opened only a week ago.
Civil defense teams rescue 45 people stranded in the building
The internal ministry said that civil defense teams rescued at least 45 people who were trapped in the building due to fire.
However, the cause of the blaze was not yet known, the initial police report suggested that the fire started on the floor where perfumes and cosmetics were sold, the Reuters News Agency reported.
Till Thursday morning, rescue teams and other emergency personnel were still on the spot.
Legal case filed against the owner of shopping mall
Provincial Governor Mohammad al-Mahihi said that the owner of the legal case building and owners of the shopping center were files, but did not specify the allegations.
Al-Mahihi declared mourning for three days, the people of the community shared stories about losing their loved ones that just went out to shop and eat in the mall.
Poor security allegations contributed to the scale of tragedy
While an official inquiry is going on, officials and residents allege that the lack of fire safety measures in the building contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
The lack of enforcement of poor building standards and security regulation Havildar presented a challenge to the authorities.
In 2023, more than 100 people died after a fire broke out in a wedding hall in Northern Iraq. The hall was covered with highly flammable ecobond panels that violated security laws.
In July 2021, more than 60 people were killed in a fire at a Kovid -19 unit at a hospital in Baghdad.
Edited by: Keran Burke
