Dead and 11 Missing After Massive Fire Engulfs 5-Floor Shopping Mall

At Least 60 Dead and 11 Missing After Massive Fire Engulfs 5-Floor Shopping Mall
A fire broke out at the Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut, Iraq on Wednesday, July 16
At least 60 people have died and 11 others are missing after a fire at the Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut, Iraq on Wednesday, July 16
Footage captured the building engulfed in flames, as well as the aftermath of ashes and debris
45 people were reportedly rescued
At least 60 people are confirmed to have died after a massive fire erupted inside a shopping mall in Iraq.

The fatal blaze occurred on Wednesday, July 16, inside the five-floor Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut, which lies around 140 miles south of the capital, Baghdad, reported Reuters and NBC News, citing state media.

Fire trucks stand next to the wreckage of a shopping center, after a massive overnight fire killed dozens of people, in al-Kut
Fire trucks stand next to the wreckage of the shopping mall fire in Iraq.
REUTERS/Ahmed Saad
Police sources also told Reuters that 11 people remained missing on Thursday, July 17.

“We have compiled a list of 59 victims whose identities have been confirmed, but one body was so badly burned that it has been extremely difficult to identify,” a city health official told the news agency.

“We have more bodies that have not been recovered still under fire debris,” city official Ali al-Mayahi added to the outlet.