Statement by Office of PM Barham Salih on the Soma Hotel fire in Suleimaniah

KRG

Those who were killed were 13 Iraqi nationals including one pregnant woman, and 14 foreign nationals.

The foreign nationals were from Canada, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, Bolivia, Belarus and Cambodia.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani issued a statement of condolence and asked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to investigate the causes of the fire and to take steps to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy. Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki telephoned Prime Minister Barham Salih to express his condolences and offered the KRG assistance to deal with the tragedy.

The Prime Minister Barham Salih has visited the scene of the accident and the hospital where the injured are being treated.

Prime Minister Salih said, "Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this tragic accident and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured." He added, "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."

The Prime Minister also ordered an immediate review of fire safety measures at all public buildings in the city of Suleimaniah and the Kurdistan Region.

The KRG is working closely with the embassies and consulates of the countries concerned to inform the next of kin and facilitate the repatriation of the remains of the victims. The KRG expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery for the injured.