A massive fire at a hypermarket in eastern Iraq's al-Kut city claimed the lives of at least 50 people, including children, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA), which cited the governor of the province, Mohammed al-Miyahi, on Thursday.
Videos shared on social media showed flames in a five-storey building overnight as firefighters were trying to control the blaze.
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear.
However, the governor stated that preliminary findings from the investigation will be released within 48 hours, as per Reuters.
"We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall," INA quoted the governor as saying.
Families were dining and shopping when the fire erupted, the governor said, and added, "A tragedy and a calamity have befallen us." The governor also said that ambulances continued to bring in casualties until 4:00 am, filling hospital beds in Kut, a city located around 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.
Firefighters managed to rescue several people and eventually extinguished the blaze, he added.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, and three days of mourning have been declared in the province.
Source: India Today