News summary
- More than a hundred people have died in a fire at a wedding party in Iraq.
- The couple who hosted the party told Sky News television they were “dead inside”.
- The bride Hanee lost a total of ten relatives in the tragedy, including her mother and brother.
The couple spoke to the American TV channel Sky News Reduction/Sky News
The couple who lost more than a hundred family members and friends in a fire at their wedding reception on September 27 in Iraq said they were “dead inside”. The interview was given to the American television channel Sky News.
Raveen and his wife Hanee escaped virtually unscathed. He says he pulled the woman to safety after noticing the ceiling decorations were on fire.
Hanee injured his leg in the onslaught but suffered no major damage. Other guests weren’t so lucky. The woman lost a total of ten relatives in the fire, including her mother and brother.
“It is true that we are sitting here alive before you,” Raveen told the Sky News reporter. “But inside we are dead. We are deaf.”
Raveen said that he and his wife had received threats and that they would leave the city of Karakosh, where the tragedy occurred.
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“Every time we try to have a little happiness, something tragic happens to us and destroys our happiness. It is better for us to leave,” he lamented.
A video circulating on the Internet shows the moment the flames spread in the party room. In the pictures, the bride and groom dance between four pillars of fireworks when the ceiling decoration catches fire.
A total of 14 people were arrested because of the fire, including the owners of the ballroom. According to the Civil Defense, the place could accommodate 400 people, but around 900 people were present at the time of the fire.
The room had highly flammable panels and inadequate emergency exits, which may have contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. The city’s mayor and the head of the local civil defense were fired after the tragedy.