BREAKING NEWS: HUGE FIRE IN A SHOPPING MALL IN IRAQ: SHOPPING MALL REDUCED TO ASHES, AT LEAST 50 DEAD

Authoritative sources in Iraq announced that the death toll in the fire was at least 50.
"Around 50 people were killed or injured in a fire that broke out in a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut," state media reported early Thursday .

"The number of victims, including martyrs and injured people, has reached nearly 50 people in the tragic fire that broke out in a large shopping mall," Wasit Governor Mohammed al-Miyahi told the official INA news agency.
160 KM FROM BAGHDAD
According to Miyahi, the fire broke out in the Hyper Mall shopping and commercial center late Wednesday night, but the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
In the city of Kut, about 160 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, the wounded filled the beds of a hospital and continued to be transported by ambulance until 4 a.m.
CLAIM: 'IT STARTED ON THE FIRST FLOOR'
An AFP reporter reported that the mall had only opened five days earlier. Initial reports suggested the fire started on the first floor.
The reporter also reported seeing "charred bodies in the hospital."
A lawsuit will be filed against the shopping mall owner.
Governor Miyahi said he declared three days of mourning in the province and that local authorities would file a lawsuit against the building and the mall owner.
DETAILS ARE COMING...
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