At the early hours of July 19th, local time, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced preliminary findings from an investigation into the recent fire in the provincial capital of Waset province, Eastern Iraq.
Officials and staff from several relevant institutions were found to have exhibited significant negligence, directly exacerbating the catastrophic consequences of the fire and causing greater casualties and property damage.
The statement indicated that, under the directive of Prime Minister Sudaniyah and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, a high-level investigative committee led by the Ministry of Interior decided to take temporary suspension or detention measures against several individuals involved. Among those suspended, there were current and former municipal department heads in Kut city, as well as former heads of the Kut Water Center, among other local management personnel.
Furthermore, the statement also announced the legal arrest of three security system officials: the head of the tourism safety department in Waset province, the civil defense department head, and the commander of the first division of the Kut Civil Defense, in accordance with the law, to facilitate further investigation.
On the night of July 16th, a five-story commercial building in the provincial capital of Waset province, Iraq, caught fire, resulting in over 60 deaths. Iraq declared a national mourning period for three days to commemorate the victims of the supermarket fire in Waset province. (CCTV Wang Yin)