- A fire at a newly opened shopping mall in al-Kut, eastern Iraq, has resulted in the deaths of over 60 people, including women and children.
- Iraqi officials confirmed 61 fatalities, with most succumbing to suffocation, and 14 bodies remaining unidentified due to severe charring.
- Civil defence teams successfully rescued more than 45 individuals from the five-storey complex, which had only been open for a week.
- Provincial governor Mohammed al-Mayyeh declared three days of mourning and stated that legal cases have been filed against the building and mall owners as the cause is investigated.
- The incident highlights ongoing concerns about poor building standards in Iraq, following previous deadly fires in hospitals and wedding halls.
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