Fire rips through Iraq shopping centre, killing at least 60
Interior ministry says many victims suffocated in bathrooms as fire gutted newly opened mall in Kut
A fire tore through a newly opened shopping centre in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said on Thursday, as grief-stricken families searched for missing relatives.
Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person said that his five relatives died in a lift.
The blaze – the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected – broke out late on Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall.
The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor said an air conditioner had exploded.
Several people said they lost families, including mothers and children, who had gone to shop and dine at the mall, days after it opened in Kut – around 160km (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad.
Footage shared on social media showed people, including children, standing on the roof, calling for help.