Fire breaks out at a wedding hall in northern Iraq, leaving 100 people dead and 150 injured
According to local civil defence, a major event hall in the northeastern region caught fire after fireworks were launched during the celebration.
Authorities warned on Wednesday that the death toll could go up after a fire ripped through a ballroom conducting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq, killing at least 100 people and injuring 150 more. According to local civil defence, a major event hall in the northeastern region caught fire after fireworks were launched during the celebration.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Over 700 people were trapped inside the wedding hall due to a fire started by fireworks, according to the regional emergency service office, which also caused a portion of the ceiling to collapse.
As the fire spread, flames could be seen racing over the wedding venue on television. People were able to only see charred metal and debris as they went through the aftermath thanks to television cameras and the lights on observers’ cell phones.
How did the fire start at wedding?
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, according to media reports, although according to early reports by the Kurdish television news channel Rudaw, works during the event may have started the fire.
According to civil defence officials cited by the Iraqi News Agency, the wedding hall’s outside was decorated with flammable panelling that was prohibited in the nation.
According to civil defence, “The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when the fire breaks out.”
Authorities’ remarks
The number of casualties was disclosed by Saif al-Badr, a spokesman for the health ministry, through the official Iraqi News Agency.
Al-Badr stated, “All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident.”
Najim al-Jubouri, the provincial governor of Nineveh, reported that some of the injured had been sent to nearby hospitals. He warned that the death toll may potentially increase because there were no official statistics on the number of casualties from the fire as of yet.
Although corruption and poor management remain widespread two decades after the US-led invasion that deposed Saddam Hussein, the reason why Iraqi officials let the coating to be placed on the hall was not immediately obvious. The country’s Interior and Health officials were contacted to provide assistance, and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire, according to a statement posted online by his office.
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