Overview

• Sixty-one people died in the overnight blaze at the five-story Corniche Hypermarket Mall, including 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified after smoke filled escape routes.
• Civil defense teams rescued more than 45 shoppers and diners trapped in the newly opened mall, which began operations only five days before the fire.
• Wasit Governor Mohammed al-Miyahi filed lawsuits against the building and mall owners and pledged no leniency for those found responsible for safety failures.
• Iraq’s Interior Ministry formed a high-level investigative committee and has committed to publishing preliminary findings within two days.
• The disaster has renewed scrutiny of Iraq’s lax enforcement of building standards following deadly fires at hospitals in 2021 and a wedding hall in 2023.