Fifty people killed in a mall fire in Iraq

Reuters - Fifty people were killed in a massive fire in a hypermarket in al-Kut city in eastern Iraq, the state news agency (INA) reported on Thursday, citing the province's governor.

Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing a five-storey building in al-Kut overnight, while firefighters were trying to contain the fire.

"We have compiled a list of 59 victims whose identities have been confirmed, but one body was so badly burned that it has been extremely difficult to identify," a city health official told Reuters.

"We have more bodies that have not been recovered still under fire debris," city official Ali al-Mayahi told Reuters.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the province's governor said initial results from an investigation would be announced within 48 hours, the state news agency (INA)reported.

"We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall," INA quoted the governor as saying.