At least 50 people have died in a devastating fire that tore through a shopping mall in Iraq’s Wasit province, according to news agency AFP. Harrowing videos circulating on social media showed the five-storey building engulfed in flames overnight as firefighters struggled to control the inferno.
“The number of victims has reached about 50 people, martyrs and injured, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre,” said Wasit governor Mohammed al-Miyahi in a statement to the official INA news agency.
While the exact cause of the blaze remains unknown, the governor added that preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation are expected to be revealed within 48 hours.