Iraqi authorities have detained six local officials and suspended several public employees in the aftermath of a devastating fire that tore through a newly opened shopping mall in Kut, killing 61 people and injuring dozens more.
The blaze broke out late Wednesday night at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, a five-storey building in the city located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of fatal incidents highlighting Iraq’s chronic neglect of safety regulations, particularly in the construction and commercial sectors.
Following an initial investigation, the Ministry of Interior said there was “clear negligence among several officials and employees” responsible for public safety in Kut.
Among those detained are three local officials, including the city’s head of civil defence.
An additional 17 employees have been suspended from duty pending further inquiry.
The Commission of Integrity, Iraq’s anti-corruption watchdog, later confirmed that three more officials were arrested, including the head of the violations department at Kut’s municipal authority, bringing the total number of detained officials to six.
The commission warned that the number may rise as investigations continue.
Though the exact cause of the fire has not yet been officially determined, eyewitness accounts suggest the disaster may have been triggered by an air conditioner explosion on the second floor.
One survivor told AFP that flames spread rapidly through the mall shortly after the explosion, leaving shoppers and staff little time to escape.
“We lost entire families,” said one Kut resident, who told reporters that several of his relatives had gone shopping and dining at the mall just days after it opened. “They never made it out.”
Iraq frequently experiences fatal fires, especially during the scorching summer months when temperatures can reach 50°C (122°F).
Poorly enforced building codes, outdated electrical systems, and inadequate emergency response infrastructure have made fires tragically common.
The mall fire comes amid growing public frustration over government mismanagement and corruption, which many Iraqis blame for repeated disasters in both the public and private sectors.
Authorities have vowed to hold those responsible accountable. The Ministry of Interior said a full investigation is underway and more arrests may follow.
“We will pursue all leads and take firm action against anyone found responsible for this tragedy,” the ministry said in a statement.
In the wake of the incident, civil society groups and families of victims are calling for an urgent overhaul of Iraq’s building safety laws and stricter enforcement of fire codes.
Funerals for many of the victims were held on Friday, with families mourning not only the loss of life but what they say is a pattern of preventable disasters.
The fire at Corniche Hypermarket Mall is one of the deadliest commercial fires in Iraq in recent years and has renewed calls for reform amid fears that without real change, such tragedies will continue.
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