A fire at a wedding ceremony in Iraq’s Nineveh province claimed more than 100 lives and injured more than 150 people on late Tuesday, September 26.
Witnesses at the scene reported the structure caught fire around 10:45 p.m. local time and that hundreds of people were present at the time.
The Nineveh Deputy Governor told reporters that at least 113 people were confirmed dead and more than 150 were injured in the fire accident.
Moreover, the death toll is expected to rise as hospital sources reported that most of those who survived were in critical condition.
According to news outlets, the fire broke out unexpectedly in a wedding hall in the city of Al-Hamdaniya, which is in the province of Nineveh.
Civil defense reports fireworks during the wedding may have sparked the blaze.
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The wedding event drew nearly 1,000 people, including the bride and groom, who perished in the fire. The strength of the flames caused a part of the building to collapse.
“We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed, got out and those who didn’t got stuck,” said Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old who escaped the inferno.
Nineveh disaster Response
In response to the disaster, a state of emergency has been declared in all the city’s hospitals.
Although initial findings indicate that firework displays may have been the cause of the fire at the wedding ceremony, a thorough investigation into what took place is currently underway to unravel the cause of the tragedy.
Consequently, the inferno left civil defense combing through the remains with the hope of finding survivors.
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Meanwhile, Nineveh Governor Najm al-Jabouri declared a week of mourning in honour for those killed in the devastating fire.
According to official media, Iraq’s Interior Ministry issued four arrest warrants for the owners of the wedding facility, and President Abdul Latif Rashid ordered an investigation.
Additionally, some people at the scene captured video of firefighters climbing over the burned materials of the structure, flashing lights over flaming ruins trying to save more people.
The EU embassy in Iraq sent condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the tragic accident.
“Our thoughts are with the families affected by this devastating loss. We stand in solidarity with Iraq and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured,” the EU said in a statement.
