More than 100 people have died, and 150 others were injured in a fire at a wedding hall in the Hamdaniyah district of Nineveh province, Iraq, as civil defense crews searched for survivors amid the charred debris of the building into the early hours of Wednesday. Nineveh Deputy Governor Hassan Al-Alaff confirmed to Reuters that 113 people were confirmed dead, while official media reported at least 100 casualties, in addition to the 150 injured.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid emphasized the need to conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and urged the implementation of all safety measures to prevent its recurrence. He expressed deep condolences to the victims' families and wished for a speedy recovery for the injured.
Health Minister Saleh Mahdi Al-Hasnawi requested the mobilization of the ministry's departments in Nineveh and neighboring areas to assist and treat the injured, as well as to send medical reinforcements from Baghdad and other provinces to Nineveh.
The Iraqi Civil Defense stated that preliminary information indicates that fireworks were used during the wedding ceremony, which initially ignited the flames inside the hall before the fire spread rapidly. They added that the wedding hall was clad with easily flammable Econobond panels, which violated safety regulations, and it has been referred to the judiciary for lacking safety requirements such as alarm and sprinkler systems.
Reports emerged of 70 fatalities, including the bride and groom, as the fire engulfed the wedding hall in Hamdaniyah, east of Mosul. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed the ministers of interior and health to mobilize all efforts to assist those affected by the fire.
Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari confirmed that civil defense teams managed to evacuate all the injured. Official media reported that the Iraqi Interior Ministry issued arrest warrants for the owner of the wedding hall. One survivor, Emad Yuhanna, 34, shared, "We saw the fire crossing through the hall. Those who made it out, made it out. Those who stayed behind, stayed behind. Even those who got out were devastated."
Official reports indicated that both Iraqi federal authorities and those of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region sent ambulances and medical teams to the site of the incident. Witnesses at the scene noted that the fire started around 10:45 PM local time, with hundreds in attendance at the time of the outbreak.
