Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Iraq Mall Fire Kills Scores Of People
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BAGHDAD (Worthy News) – The governor of eastern Iraq’s Wasit province has declared three days of mourning after more than 60 people, including women and children, were killed when a fire destroyed a newly opened shopping mall.
Governor Mohammed al-Mayyeh said the cause of the blaze in Wasit’s city of Kut is being investigated, but legal cases were filed against the building and mall owners. He did not specify what the charges were.
“We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident,” al-Mayyeh stressed in a statement.
Iraq’s Ministry of Interior announced that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday. Among the dead were 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified, it said.
The ministry explained that civil defense teams could rescue more than 45 people trapped inside the building.
The mall, which had opened only a week earlier, was in a five-story building that also contained a restaurant and supermarket, media said.
PEOPLE MISSING
The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing.
Dramatic photographs and videos obtained by Worthy News showed the building engulfed in flames with people still standing on what was left of the rooftop near spreading flames.
A woman shouted in panic among a crowd of anxious people outside, awaiting word of loved ones. Footage showed the charred remains of goods inside what was left of the building.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the fire site to investigate and take measures to prevent a recurrence.
Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq, which already suffers from violence.
It also reminded minority Christians of a deadly blaze in 2023, when over 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in the mainly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames.
In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 and 92 people was determined to have been fueled by a highly flammable, low-cost type of “sandwich panel” cladding that is illegal in Iraq.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Anti-immigration and local parties made gains in municipal elections in the Netherlands, where concerns over rising migration from mainly Islamic countries, the financial impact of climate policies, and increased defense spending have dominated national and local debates.
Israel signaled Thursday it would refrain from further attacks on energy infrastructure after a strike on Iran’s vast South Pars natural gas field triggered retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, sending oil and natural gas prices sharply higher and raising fears of a wider regional escalation.
European Union leaders condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s decision on Thursday to block a 90 billion euro ($98 billion) loan for Ukraine, linking his stance to a dispute with Kyiv over Russian oil supplies.
Families and friends of scores of Christians held in Iranian prisons have requested prayers as “concerns for their well-being grow and communication has all but ceased” amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, Christians told Worthy News Thursday.
As a marathon debate over the SAVE America Act continues in the U.S. Senate, Republicans and Democrats are sparring over whether the voter ID bill would strengthen election security or discourage potential voters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Thursday that Iran has lost its ability to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles following nearly three weeks of coordinated U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing regional conflict.
Israel dramatically expanded its military campaign against Iran, striking Iranian Navy targets in the Caspian Sea for the first time since the launch of “Operation Roaring Lion,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Thursday.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com