NINEVEH, Iraq, Sept 27 (WPBN) – More than a hundred people were murdered and 150 were injured in a wedding party fire in Iraq’s Nineveh region on Tuesday night, prompting civil defense workers to scour the charred remains of a structure until Wednesday morning.
State media reported at least 100 deaths, but Nineveh’s deputy governor, Hassan al-Allaq, told WPBN that 113 people had been verified deceased.
According to official media, Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari stated the fire broke out in the hall’s ceiling after flares were lit during the celebration.
Christians make up the majority in Hamdaniya, which suffered greatly when under Islamic State control from 2014 to 2017.
WPBN has not confirmed the authenticity of a video of the event that has gone viral online, but it appears to show the flares igniting a sparkling ceiling ornament and bursting into flames.
WPBN has not confirmed another video showing a couple dancing in wedding attire while burning objects fall to the floor.
According to official media, President Abdul Latif Rashid has demanded an inquiry into the wedding venue after the Interior Ministry announced it has issued four arrest warrants for the owners.
We could see the flames throbbing along the corridor. Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old survivor, remarked, “Those who managed got out, and those who didn’t got stuck.”
A WPBN reporter on the scene filmed firemen climbing over the charred remains of the structure and flashing lights into the smoke-filled rooms where the fire had broken out.
State media said that initial investigations showed the structure was composed of extremely combustible construction materials, which likely contributed to its quick collapse.
Federal Iraqi authorities and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq sent ambulances and medical teams to the scene, according to official statements.
According to witnesses on the scene, the fire broke out at approximately 10:45 p.m. local time (19:45 GMT) with hundreds of people inside.
