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Baghdad: The death toll from the fire that broke out in a shopping center in downtown Kut, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, has risen to more than 60 fatalities.
Brigadier General Miqdad Miri, Head of the Relations and Media Department at the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, announced in a press conference Thursday that the number of victims from the fire at the shopping center in Kut, the capital of Wasit Governorate, has exceeded 60.
He revealed that the center was built without official approvals due to violations of safety regulations.
Miri noted that Iraqi authorities have ordered a seven-day investigation to identify those responsible, with no leniency. He also directed urgent measures in coordination with the judiciary to address these violations.
Earlier today, the city of Kut witnessed a devastating fire inside a large shopping center, resulting in the deaths of more than 60 people so far, including women and children, according to a source in the Iraqi Civil Defense Directorate.
The local government has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the fire.
