SO SAD: 100 dead and 150 others injured as fire breaks out at wedding party

No fewer than 100 people were killed when a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in Al-Hamdaniyah town of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province.

More than 150 people were also severely injured in the incident which occurred late Tuesday evening, September 26, 2023.

The cause of the fire is not yet known but early reports say it broke out after fireworks were lit and inflammable panels in the venue might have fuelled the flames, causing parts of the ceiling to catch fire and fall.

“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 collapsed within minutes when fire breaks out,” Iraq’s civil defence directorate said as quoted by state news agency INA.

It was not clear if the bride and the groom were among the victims. Initial reports in Iraqi media said they had died in the blaze, with news agency, Nina, later reporting that they were alive but were being treated for burns.

Health authorities in Nineveh province “have counted 100 dead and more than 150 injured in the fire at a marriage hall in Hamdaniyah”, the official Iraqi press agency INA reported, citing a “preliminary tally” confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the country’s health ministry.

At the main hospital in Hamdaniyah, a predominantly Christian town east of Mosul, an AFP photographer saw several ambulances arriving with sirens blaring and dozens of people gathering in the courtyard to donate blood.

Some people were also seen gathering at the doors of a refrigerated truck carrying several black body bags..

In a statement, civil defence authorities reported the presence of prefabricated panels that were “highly flammable and contravened safety standards” inside the event hall where the blaze took place.

“The fire caused some parts of the ceiling to fall due to the use of highly flammable, low-cost construction materials,” the statement said.

“Preliminary information indicates that fireworks were used during a wedding, which triggered a fire in the hall.”

Safety standards in Iraq’s construction and transport sectors are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is regularly the scene of fatal fires and accidents.

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