Iraqi officials say a fire engulfed a newly opened shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing more than 60 people in eastern Wasit province.

From the Middle East, we verified footage of the deadly fire in Kut, Iraq, which is now known to have killed at least 61 people, and the aftermath of recent clashes in Syria which also appear to have claimed many lives. BBC Verify uses open-source intelligence, satellite imagery, fact-checking and data analysis to help report complex stories

A massive fire in a hypermarket in Al-Kut city in eastern Iraq has left at least 60 people dead and 11 others missing, according to the city’s health authorities.

Following a deadly shopping center fire in Kut, Wasit, condolences have poured into Iraq from the UN, US, Turkey, and the Arab Parliament, with the UN pledging support.

Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor in the cases against accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been fired. Although a reason for the dismissal was not immediately clear, she is also the daughter of James Comey, who is the former director of the FBI and a critic of President Donald Trump.