Iraq: 114 killed, over 150 injured in wedding hall fire
A fire broke out at a wedding party in Iraq's Nineveh province, leaving at least 114 dead and over 150 injured, The Associated Press reported. The blaze reportedly broke out late Tuesday (local time) inside an event hall after some guests allegedly used fireworks during the wedding ceremony. According to Iraq's state media, the exterior of the building was decorated with "highly flammable cladding" that was "illegal in the country," and the hall lacked proper safety measures.
Death toll might rise as search, rescue operation on: Officials
The accident occurred around 10:45pm local time in the Hamdaniyah district of Nineveh on Tuesday night, Reuters reported. The region is located outside of the northern city of Mosul, some 400km northwest of the capital, Baghdad. The Nineveh governor, Najim al-Jubouri, suggested on Wednesday that the death toll may rise as search and rescue operations are still ongoing. Meanwhile, Iraq's health ministry said that efforts were being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident.
Video showing moment before the hall caught fire
Iraq's prime minister orders investigation, orders assistance from other provinces
In response to the fire incident, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation and asked Iraq's interior and health officials to level up relief work, his office said in a statement, per Al Jazeera. The report said that many aid trucks have reportedly been sent from Baghdad and other provinces to assist the victims. While there was no official word on how the fire started, Kurdish television news channel Rudaw claimed that fireworks may have started the fire.
Highly flammable construction material exacerbated tragedy: Iraq's civil defence
The deadly fire puts the spotlight on the absence of safety standards in the construction of buildings in Iraq. The country's infrastructure is already in distress after decades of conflict. In this case, the use of highly flammable, low-cost construction materials led parts of the ceiling to collapse during the fire, exacerbating the tragedy, per AFP. Iraq's civil defense reported that the building contained "highly flammable" prefabricated panels that "contravened safety standards," and there were no proper emergency exits.
