ERBIL - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has expressed sadness over the fire incident at Erbil’s Langa Bazaar (secondhand clothing marketplace).

The marketplace caught fire after midnight on Wednesday, causing huge damage to over 1,000 stores.


"I'm deeply saddened by the fire incident in Langa Bazaar in Erbil. My heart goes out to the shop owners. A committee will be formed to evaluate the scale of damages, and take measures so as no such accidents will happen again," Barzani said on his Twitter account.

The Kurdish premier promised to compensate the shop owners for their great loss of properties.

According to latest reports, more than half of Langa Bazaar is burned to ashes with the rest also suffering damage on smaller scale.

It took around 11 hours for firefighters to contain the fire.