Funerals held as more than 100 killed in Iraq wedding fire

A tragic fire at a wedding celebration in Iraq’s Nineveh province claimed 113 lives and left over 150 injured.
Deputy Governor Hassan al-Allaq confirms the death toll, with the potential for further increases.
The fire ignited around 10:45 p.m. local time in Nineveh’s Hamdaniya district.

A devastating fire that occurred during a wedding celebration in Iraq‘s northern Nineveh province has tragically claimed the lives of at least 113 people, with over 150 individuals sustaining injuries, as reported by local authorities and emergency services.

Hassan al-Allaq, the Deputy Governor of Nineveh, has officially confirmed the current death toll, which remains subject to potential further increases.

The fire ignited at approximately 10:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday night.

The incident occurred in a wedding venue situated within Nineveh’s Hamdaniya district, where the joyful celebration was taking place.

Hamdaniya, also known as Qaraqosh, is predominantly a Christian town located outside the northern city of Mosul, positioned approximately 400 kilometers (around 250 miles) northwest of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

“All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” Iraq’s health ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said.

Funeral services for the fire victims were underway as early as Wednesday, with grieving family members congregating outside a morgue in Mosul.

“This was not a wedding. This was hell,” said Mariam Khedr, crying and hitting herself as she waited for officials to return the bodies of her daughter Rana Yakoub, 27, and three young grandchildren, the youngest aged just eight months.

Iraq’s civil defense said initial reports indicated that fireworks may have been the cause of the fire. “Preliminary information indicates that fireworks were used during a wedding, which triggered a fire in the hall,” civil defense authorities said in a statement early on Wednesday.

Funerals held as more than 100 killed in Iraq wedding fire

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