Pope Leo assured his "spiritual solidarity" with all those who affected by a fire in a shopping mall in Kut, Iraq. More than 60 people died.
The blaze broke out Wednesday evening at the five-story shopping mall and restaurant, which had just opened a week ago. First responders were able to rescue several dozen.
The Pope commended the souls of the departed to the "loving mercy of the Almighty," and assured his prayers for the emergency personnel.
Series of tragedies
In April 2021, a fire in a Baghdad hospital treating Covid patients resulted in the deaths of more than 80 people.
That same year in July, more than 60 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in a blaze which broke out at a Nasiriyah hospital. The facility had just opened three months before.
Then in 2023, a fire at a wedding in the largest Christian community in Iraq’s Nineveh Plain region claimed the lives of 120 people and injured more than 150.
In various of the cases, investigations have shown the use of flammable building materials.
