Video: Newly Opened Mall Engulfed in Flames In Iraq, 60 Dead; 3 Days of Mourning Declared

International

oi-Prakash KL

Updated: Thursday, July 17, 2025, 12:20 [IST]

At
least
50
people
were
killed
in
a
fire
that
broke
out
early
Thursday
at
a
shopping
mall
eastern
Iraqi
city
of
Kut,
state
media
said.

“We
have
compiled
a
list
of
59
victims
whose
identities
have
been
confirmed,
but
one
body
was
so
badly
burned
that
it
has
been
extremely
difficult
to
identify,” Reuters
quoted
a
city
health
official
as
saying,
as
more
bodies
are
being
recovered.

“The
number
of
victims
has
reached
about
50
people,
martyrs
and
injured,
in
the
tragic
fire
at
a
major
shopping
center”
which
broke
out
late
on
Wednesday,
the
Wasit
province
governor,
Mohammed
al-Miyahi,
told
the
official
INA
news
agency.

The
mall
was
opened
just
five
days
ago,
according
to
a
report
in
AFP.

Unverified
viral
footage
circulating
online
showed
a
massive
section
of
a
building
engulfed
in
flames,
thick
black
smoke
billowing
into
the
sky.

CNN
geolocated
a
video
shared
on
Facebook,
confirming
it
depicted
a
multi-story
building
in
Kut
consumed
by
fire,
with
a
crowd
trapped
on
the
rooftop
as
firefighters
worked
to
contain
the
blaze.
Another
video
posted
on
X
showed
people
calmly
evacuating
the
building
even
as
flames
roared
above
them.

Photos
shared
on
Telegram
captured
crowds
gathered
behind
barriers
at
an
unverified
location
during
the
day,
with
emergency
vehicles
stationed
nearby.

According
to
local
media,
Wasit’s
governor
has
announced
three
days
of
mourning
for
the
fire
victims.

The
cause
of
the
fire
remains
unknown,
but
officials
have
opened
an
investigation.
“We
have
filed
lawsuits
against
the
building
and
mall
owner,”
the
Wasit
governor
told
INA,
stating
that
preliminary
findings
would
be
released
within
48
hours.

Ambulances
continued
transporting
casualties
until
4
a.m.,
overwhelming
a
hospital
in
Kut,
located
roughly
160
km
(100
miles)
southeast
of
Baghdad.

In
view
of
the
tragedy,
Miyahi
declared
three
days
of
provincial
mourning
and
confirmed
legal
action
would
be
taken
against
the
building
and
mall
owner.