Deadly Mall Fire in Iraq Exposes Dangerous Neglect and Corruption

On a tragic night in Kut, Wasit province, a fire broke out at a five-story mall that had just opened its doors a week prior, claiming the lives of at least 61 people—many of them women and children. The majority perished from suffocation inside a building engulfed by flames so intense that 14 victims remain unidentifiable. Civil defense teams heroically rescued over 45 trapped individuals, but their efforts could not prevent this horrific loss. How Long Will Reckless Negligence Cost Innocent Lives? This disaster is not an isolated incident; it lays bare the dangerous pattern of substandard building practices and...