The weeping groom (left) at the joint funeral of his wedding guests
Groom appears heartbroken at mass burial in Iraq. The wedding tragedy is one of the saddest of the year and has been compared to the Kiss nightclub disaster. New videos show the moment the fire spread. Nine people were arrested
The weeping groom (left) at the joint funeral of his wedding guests
The groom of a wedding whose celebration was interrupted by a fire in Iraq attended a joint funeral for the victims of the tragedy. The man, identified only as Revan, was seen in tears and supported by relatives and colleagues as he said goodbye.
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He and his fiancée Haneen were hospitalized but survived the incident, which left more than 100 people dead and is being investigated by local authorities. According to local media, Revan and Haneen are in a “terrible” mental health situation.
More than 100 people died and another 150 were injured in the incident on Tuesday evening. The collective burials began on Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the tragedy, and will continue this Thursday. According to an Interior Ministry spokesman, nine people were arrested in connection with the tragedy.
Initially, information circulated that the couple had died in the fire. However, Iraqi civil defense officials told the British broadcaster BBC that the bride and groom had survived. The information was also confirmed to CNN by the bride’s father.
“I blame the salon owner for what happened at the party because there is no fire extinguisher or safety measures,” the bride’s father said.
In a statement, the local civil defense said that “preliminary information indicates the use of fireworks during the wedding, which resulted in a fire.” Authorities found that the party room where the tragedy occurred had prefabricated panels that were “flammable and violated safety standards.”
The flames caused “parts of the ceiling to collapse” because “highly flammable and cheap” building materials were used. The danger was exacerbated by “toxic gas emissions associated with the burning of the panels.” Rania Waad, 17, said there were “a lot of guests” and those present “couldn’t see anything.”
“The bride and groom danced as the fireworks rose to the ceiling. The entire hall caught fire. We couldn’t see anything, we didn’t know how to get out,” he explained.
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