A tragic incident unfolded in Iraq’s Nineveh province, specifically in the Hamdaniya district, where a devastating fire broke out during a wedding celebration. The blaze resulted in the loss of over 100 lives and left approximately 150 injured.
The aftermath of this heartbreaking incident saw civil defense teams tirelessly searching the smoldering remnants of a building for survivors well into the early hours of Wednesday.
Nineveh’s Deputy Governor, Hassan al-Allaq, released a statement confirming the grim toll, indicating that 113 individuals had tragically lost their lives. State media reports, on the other hand, suggest the death toll to be at least 100, with an additional 150 people suffering injuries.
The exact cause of the fire has yet to be fully determined. However, state media sources have suggested that the use of flammable panels within the venue may have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. This, in turn, led to sections of the ceiling catching fire and collapsing.
The fire tore through a sizable event hall in the northeastern region, and it was reported that fireworks were ignited during the celebration, potentially triggering the catastrophe, according to local civil defense authorities cited by state media.
Ambulances and medical teams were dispatched to the site by federal Iraqi authorities and Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to official statements.
The fire broke out at approximately 10:45 p.m. local time (1945 GMT) and hundreds of people were in attendance at the time of the incident.