Special committee initiated to investigate Soran building fire tragedy

Shafaq News / The Supervisor of the Soran Independent Administration, Helkurd Sheikh Najib, announced on Saturday that the special committee formed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to investigate the residential building fire incident in Soran had initiated its work.

Sheikh Najib stated that the committee holds broad powers and is earnestly working to determine the cause of the incident and the high casualty count. He further mentioned that all these findings would be presented to the Minister of Interior in the Region to take necessary legal actions.

He added that the investigation results will identify the accountable party, whether it is the building owner for non-compliance with safety regulations or the responsible authorities at the time of the incident. He emphasized their serious efforts to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies in the future.

Yesterday evening, Friday, 14 professors and a postgraduate student collectively lost their lives due to a fire outbreak in a residential building within the Soran Independent Administration.

Dr. Kamran Mala Muhammad Al-Shirawani, the Director-General of Health in the Soran Administration, informed Shafaq News Agency, "14 individuals perished due to the fire disaster that erupted in the building. Among the victims were Syrians, Iranians, and individuals from Baghdad, with two from the Soran Administration."

Al-Shirawani added that "seven injured individuals were transferred to Soran Hospital for treatment. Five of them were discharged yesterday, leaving only two under intensive medical care."

Contrary to some media reports, Shirawan Sherif Qurtas, the President of Soran University, affirmed that the residential building where the tragic fire incident occurred was not part of the university's dorm. Instead, a group of professors and postgraduate students had rented it to stay during official working and study days.

Qurtas clarified to journalists, "We did not rent the building for student accommodation due to its non-compliance with safety standards. However, a group of professors and postgraduate students rented it, and unfortunately, the incident claimed the lives of some university professors and one graduate student with a doctoral degree from our university."