BAGHDAD (Arab News/ Shafaq News) – A restaurant in the Iraqi capital Baghdad collapsed on Sunday, trapping civilians in the rubble and killing three employees, first aid providers revealed on Sunday.
The restaurant, called Laila, is located in the Jadriya area in central Baghdad.
“Civilians are trapped inside the collapsed building,” Iraq’s Civil Defence said.
“Civil Defense teams began a rescue operation into the accident of the collapse of a restaurant in the Jadriya area near the Ministers complex,” read a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Local reports suggest the collapse was caused by an explosion, although officials are yet to confirm this.
Preliminary findings attributed the explosion to “problems in the gas system.”
“So far, three injured persons were evacuated from the kitchen,” a source said.