Local authorities reported on Wednesday that at least 114 people were killed and more than 200 injured during a huge fire in a wedding hall in the town of Al-Hamdaniya in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh.
According to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) citing the Iraqi Civil Defense, the fire broke out Tuesday night at the Al-Haytham wedding hall in the town of Al-Hamdaniya, 35 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital of Mosul.
Preliminary reports from the Iraqi Civil Defense indicate that the fire would have been caused by the use of fireworks inside the hall.
As the building was covered with highly flammable materials, the fire spread quickly, leading to the collapse of part of the building, INA reported. Videos posted on social networks show how the fire caused the roof to collapse, and the flames engulfed the dance floor.
Funerals are being held in Iraq as more than 100 people were killed in a fire that ripped through a wedding celebration in Nineveh https://t.co/eKD1m63BhQ pic.twitter.com/Uw74EdQPi1
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 27, 2023
Security forces are looking for the owner of the hall, held responsible for using building materials that do not meet the minimum standards, the commander of the Nineveh Operations Command, Abdullah Ramadan al-Jubori, said in statements to the press.
Iraqi authorities have expressed their shock following the tragedy and conveyed their condolences to the families of the victims. A week of mourning has been declared throughout Nineveh province.
The President of Iraq, Abdelatif Rashid, urged to clarify the cause of the “painful tragedy.” He affirmed “the need to open an investigation, to know the circumstances of the incident, and to take security measures so that it does not happen again.”
