Overview

• Provisional data from the Interior Ministry put the death toll at 61–63 and around 40 injured, with several people still unaccounted for after the blaze.
• The fire ignited late Wednesday on the first floor of the five-story Corniche Hypermarket Mall, which had opened just seven days earlier, and quickly engulfed the structure.
• Civil defense teams and local residents rescued more than 45 people, though scarce firefighting equipment slowed initial containment.
• Governor Mohamed Yamil al-Mayah declared three days of mourning and initiated legal action against the mall’s owner over alleged safety lapses.
• Authorities launched a formal inquiry into construction standards and oversight failures, with preliminary findings expected within 48 hours under a pledge of full transparency.