Khalid Al Mousily/Portal
An emergency responder walks over rubble at the site after a deadly fire at a wedding reception in Iraq’s Nineveh province on September 27.
CNN –
A fire at a wedding in northern Iraq has killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, according to the Iraqi state news agency INA, citing local authorities.
The disaster in Hamdaniya district in northeastern Nineveh governorate was triggered by fireworks, candles and other materials used during the wedding celebration, Iraq’s civil defense said.
Nineveh Governor Najm Al-Jubouri told Iraq’s state news agency INA that the injured were transferred to hospitals in Nineveh and the Kurdistan Region.
“There is still no final count of the dead and injured,” Al-Jubouri said, according to the INA.
Videos from the scene show thick smoke billowing from Al Haytham Wedding Hall as crowds and ambulances gather outside.
A wedding guest told local media that the bride and groom were safe but were devastated.
Khalid Al Mousily/Portal
People gather outside a hospital after the deadly fire.
“The bride and groom are doing well. I was just with them, but their condition is devastating because of what happened to the people here,” the guest told the private Iraqi broadcaster Alawla TV.
The wedding hall where the fire broke out was covered with highly flammable Ecobond panels, violating safety regulations, according to Iraqi Civil Defense, ANI reported.
“The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall because highly flammable, inexpensive building materials were used, which collapse within minutes if the fire breaks out,” the civil defense statement said.
Khalid Al Mousily/Portal
Iraqi officials go to the scene of a fire that destroyed a wedding reception.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani has instructed his cabinet to help those affected by the fire, a statement from his office said.
According to his office and the INA, the Iraqi leader contacted the governor of Nineveh by telephone about the incident and ordered a full-scale mobilization to help the victims.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq expressed its condolences on Tuesday to the family members of those killed and injured, calling the incident “a tremendous tragedy.”
“Shocked and pained by the terrible loss of life and injuries caused by the fire,” the mission said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.