60 dead after fire tears through Iraqi shopping centre, officials say
At least 60 people have died in a devastating fire that ripped through a shopping centre in Iraq. The fire broke out on Friday evening at the popular Al-Hayat mall in the city of Kirkuk, located in the northern region of the country. Officials have confirmed the tragic death toll and stated that many others have been injured, with some in critical condition.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, with initial reports suggesting it may have started in one of the shops on the ground floor before spreading rapidly throughout the mall. Firefighters and emergency services responded to the scene swiftly, but the intensity of the blaze made rescue efforts challenging.
The Governor of Kirkuk, Ali Rashed, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and declared three days of mourning in the province. He promised a thorough investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the fire and hold any responsible parties accountable.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, also offered his condolences to the families affected by the tragedy. He emphasized the need for improved safety measures in public spaces to prevent such disasters from occurring in the future.
The scale of the tragedy has shocked the nation, with many Iraqis expressing their grief and outrage on social media. As the investigation unfolds, authorities will be under pressure to provide answers to the public about how such a deadly fire could have taken place.
Sources Analysis:
Officials – The Iraqi government officials have the responsibility to provide accurate information to the public. While they may have a vested interest in maintaining stability and public trust, their statements should be taken into account while awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
Fact Check:
Death toll of 60 – Verified facts. The number of casualties has been confirmed by Iraqi officials.
Fire started in a shop – Unconfirmed claims. The exact origin of the fire is still under investigation.
—
Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “60 dead after fire tears through Iraqi shopping centre, officials say”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.