A newly opened mall became a death trap in eastern Iraq, as a late-night fire killed at least 61 and left haunting questions about what exactly went wrong.
In Kut, eastern Iraq, a massive fire tore through a newly-opened five-story shopping mall on the night of Wednesday, July 16, 2025. At least 61 people have died, with dozens more injured or missing.
According to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, the fire is still under investigation. Early reports cited an air conditioner explosion, though the ulterior cause remains unconfirmed. Rescue operations are ongoing.
“The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified,” said the ministry in a statement.
The structure, called the Hyper Mall, had only been open to the public for five days. It housed a hypermarket and a restaurant, among other amenities.
The fire erupted on the first floor late on Wednesday before quickly spreading through the entire structure. Dozens became trapped inside. Firefighters have managed to rescue more than 45 people from the smoke and flames.
Dr. Nasir al-Quraishi lost five relatives to the fire. He told the local press that on that Wednesday evening, he took his family to the new mall “to have some food, eat dinner, and escape power cuts at home.”
“An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted, and we couldn’t escape. A disaster has befallen us,” said al-Quraishi.
With many people missing, victims continue to be identified by the public. Kut resident Moataz Karim told the press that he’d already identified the bodies of two relatives. One of them had been working at the mall for only three days.
Posted outside the local forensic department as he awaited news of a third missing family member, Karim told the press that “there is no fire extinguishing system.” If true, this may have contributed to the fire’s destructiveness.
Ali Kadhim, another local, has been searching the mall and local hospitals for his cousin, who went missing alongside his spouse and three children. “We don’t know what happened to them,” said Kadhim.
In a statement, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani shared his condolences. He also called for an investigation of the fire to identify shortcomings and “take all necessary strict measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.”
Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari ordered a high-level investigation — conducted by senior experts and technical advisors — into the fire’s causes, as well as to identify failures in terms of safety measures or emergency response.
“The Ministry of Interior affirms that it will not tolerate any negligence or failure by any party found responsible, in full commitment to justice and public safety,” Al-Shammari’s statement read, before promising total transparency.
Shortly after the fire, Mohammed al-Miyahi, Governor of Wasit, where the city of Kut is located, declared three days of public mourning in the region. He also pledged to take legal action against the mall’s owner and builders.
The Kut fire is the latest in a string of similar incidents in Iraq, including a September 2023 fire in Nineveh that killed more than 100 people, and a July 2021 fire in Nasiriyah that claimed over 60 lives.
