A massive fire at a hypermarket in Kut city, Iraq’s eastern Wasit governorate, has left at least 61 people dead and several missing. The blaze erupted as families gathered to have dinner and shop, authorities said.
According to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, 14 charred bodies were found inside the building, while 45 people were rescued by civil defence teams. The fire broke out in a five-storey hypermarket that had opened only a week earlier, along with a restaurant and supermarket.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has directed the interior minister to investigate the cause of the fire and take measures to prevent future incidents. Three days of mourning have been announced, and an investigation is underway, with results expected within 48 hours.
The governor of Wasit province has filed lawsuits against the building’s owner and mall operator, citing poor building standards as a contributing factor to the tragedy. This is not the first time such incidents have occurred in Iraq, where building codes are often flouted, leading to devastating fires, including one that killed over 60 people at a hospital in Nasiriyah in July 2021.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/17/fifty-people-killed-in-huge-fire-at-hypermarket-in-iraqs-kut