Egypt, Elsewedy review progress on Ain Sokhna phosphate complex    US employment cost index 3.6% up in year to June 2025    Egypt welcomes Canada, Malta's decision to recognise Palestinian state    Pakistan says successfully concluded 'landmark trade deal' with US    Sterling set for sharpest monthly drop since 2022    Egypt, Brazil sign deal to boost pharmaceutical cooperation    Modon Holding posts AED 2.1bn net profit in H1 2025    Egypt's Electricity Ministry says new power cable for Giza area operational    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Italian defence minister discuss Gaza, security cooperation    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Nile dam with US senators    Aid airdrops intensify as famine deepens in Gaza amid mounting international criticism    Egypt exports first high-tech potato seeds to Uzbekistan after opening market    Health minister showcases AI's impact on healthcare at Huawei Cloud Summit    On anti-trafficking day, Egypt's PM calls fight a 'moral and humanitarian duty'    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



28 killed in hotel fire in Iraq''s Kurdish region
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 17 - 07 - 2010

Baghdad--A fierce blaze at a hotel without fire escapes sent some desperate guests plunging to their deaths in a northern Iraqi oil boomtown, killing 28 people.
Half of those killed were foreigners, a reflection of the thousands of migrants who have flooded the Kurdish region in northern Iraq in recent years in search of economic opportunities. Kurdistan, which has been spared the brunt of violence in Iraq, has prospered even as the rest of the country remains mired in sectarian bloodshed and political woes that have slowed investment.
The fire began late Thursday night in the city of Sulaimaniyah and lasted well into Friday morning as firefighters battled the deadly blaze in the five-story Soma Hotel for nearly five hours.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene in which smoke filled the hallways and billowed out of the windows, forcing some hotel guests to jump from the upper floors in a desperate attempt to avoid the flames.
One man who was visiting friends at the hotel, Mariwan Asaad, described seeing flames and smoke filling the corridors on the third floor, forcing him to stumble blindly in search of a way out. Through the open doorway of one room he saw a man lying on the floor, dead from smoke inhalation.
"I entered the room and threw myself from the window. I broke my legs. The pain was so great that I lost consciousness. I found myself in the hospital," he said, speaking just before going into the operating room for surgery.
The owner of another hotel next door said the fire reached his building but his hotel workers managed to douse the flames.
"Thick smoke was going out from all the hotel windows. I saw at least three people jumping from the fifth story," Hawri Hassan said.
Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, and the lack of fire escapes contributed to the high death toll, said the head of the city's fire department, Brig. Yadgar Mohammed Mustafa.
Kurdish Prime Minister Barham Saleh said 28 people died and 22 were injured, in a statement released by the Kurdistan Regional Government. Fourteen of the dead were foreigners, the statement said.
He said the government was working with embassies to notify the next of kin. The prime minister said he had ordered a review of all fire safety measures in public buildings in the city and the region.
"I have ordered an immediate investigation into the accident to establish the causes of the fire and assess the emergency procedures that followed. We will spare no effort in making sure such tragedies do not occur in the future," he said.
The dead included people from Cambodia, Bangladesh, Canada, Australia, Ecuador, South Africa, Britain, Lebanon, Venezuela, Sri Lanka and one person who was believed to be a foreigner but did not have identification, the Kurdish government said.
The chief of police, Brig. Gen. Najim-al-Din Qadir, said the blaze was sparked by an electrical short. The top health official in Sulaimaniyah, Rekwt Mohammed, said one of the dead was a pregnant woman.
Some of those killed were working for foreign oil companies, according to the police chief.
A number of such oil companies operate in the Kurdish north, which sits atop about 40 percent of Iraq's total 115 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves.
A Dubai-based company, Terraseis, which conducts geological surveys for the oil industry, said in a statement late Friday that eight of its employees were killed in the fire.
"This is a tragic situation and our hearts go out to all those who are impacted," said the company.
Despite Iraq's instability and struggling economy, the country — especially the three provinces that make up the Kurdish region — is still a destination for migrant workers, mostly from Asia and Africa, said Jean-Philippe Chauzy, a spokesman for the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration.
While the rest of Iraq has been plagued by violence since the 2003 US-led invasion, the Kurdish region has enjoyed relative stability, benefitting from a construction boom that has seen investors throw up houses, hotels and office buildings.
The growth and stability in the region have also spurred a growing number of airlines to fly into the Kurdish region, some from as far away as Austria.
Waleed Mohammed, marketing manager in Sulamaniyah for Lafarge SA, the world's largest cement maker, said some Kurdish businessmen who had worked in Europe or the Gulf states were bringing in workers from countries such as India or Bangladesh, in part because they were better trained than Kurdish workers.
However, the lack of fire escapes at the building raises questions about the Kurdish building boom and whether corners are being cut in pursuit of economic growth.
"There is too much building going on in Sulamaniyah without enough government oversight," said one builder in the city, Arass Karim Wali. "Most of them have no safety regulations, especially in the hotels and the markets."


Clic here to read the story from its source.