100 Dead, 150 Injured As Fire Breaks Out At Christian Wedding In Iraq
The regional rescue service office told Iraqi media that fireworks led to a fire inside the wedding hall, trapping over 700 guests and causing part of the hall's ceiling to collapse.
A fire that raced through a hall hosting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, authorities said Wednesday, warning the death toll could rise higher. The fire ripped through a large events hall in the north-eastern region after fireworks were lit during the celebration, local civil defence said, according to Iraq media.
The regional rescue service office told Iraqi media that fireworks led to a fire inside the wedding hall, trapping over 700 guests and causing part of the hall’s ceiling to collapse.
Television footage showed flames rushing over the wedding hall as the fire took hold. In the blaze’s aftermath, only charred metal and debris could be seen as people walked through the scene of the fire, the only light coming from television cameras and the lights of onlookers’ mobile phones.
Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr gave the casualty figure via the state-run Iraqi News Agency. “All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” al-Badr said.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire and asked the country’s Interior and Health officials to provide relief, his office said in a statement online.
