A fire that broke out overnight in a multi-storey shopping mall in Kut, the capital of Iraq’s eastern Wasit province, has killed at least 61 people, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. The blaze is among the country’s deadliest in recent years and left dozens of others injured. Medical authorities told Reuters that 60 victims have been identified so far and that 11 people remain missing under the debris of the five-storey Hypermarket complex, which had opened only five days earlier. Videos circulating locally showed flames engulfing the building as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze. Governor Mohammed Jamil Al-Mayahi declared three days of mourning and said legal action has been launched against the mall’s owners. An investigative committee is expected to release preliminary findings within 48 hours, although the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The tragedy highlights persistent shortcomings in Iraq’s building-safety standards, which have been blamed for several fatal fires in recent years.