The blaze erupted late on Wednesday evening at the newly opened Hyper Mall, quickly engulfing the five-storey building that housed a supermarket and a restaurant. Civil defence officials reported that most of the victims died from smoke inhalation in the building’s bathrooms, with 14 of the bodies so severely burned they have yet to be identified.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside hospitals and the charred remains of the mall throughout the night, desperately searching for news of their loved ones. Disturbing footage shared online showed grief-stricken people wailing, collapsing in tears, and pounding the ground in despair.
“I lost five family members,” said Nasir al-Quraishi, a local doctor in his 50s. “We just wanted to have dinner and escape the power cuts at home. Then the air conditioner exploded on the second floor and the fire spread so fast, we couldn’t escape.”
Rescue workers saved more than 45 people trapped inside the building, but the casualty toll continued to rise into the early hours of the morning. Ambulances were still ferrying victims to overcrowded hospitals at 4am, as emergency services scrambled to manage the unfolding crisis.
The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed. However, one survivor claimed it began after an air conditioning unit exploded.
Iraq PM calls for probing
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has called for a full investigation into the incident to uncover “shortcomings” and ensure accountability. Wasit province governor Mohammed al-Miyahi announced three days of mourning and pledged legal action against the mall’s owner and contractor.
“This tragedy is a major shock,” al-Miyahi told Iraq’s state news agency INA. “It requires a serious review of all safety measures.”
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest authority in Iraq’s Shia community, extended his condolences to the bereaved families.
Deadly fires are tragically common in Iraq, where poor construction standards and outdated infrastructure have plagued the country for years. In recent summers, when temperatures have soared to nearly 50°C, Iraq has witnessed a spike in fatal incidents. In September 2023, over 100 people died in a wedding hall inferno. Just two years earlier, more than 60 perished in a hospital Covid unit blaze.
