Wedding Inferno left at least 100 dead as fire sparked by ‘fireworks set off before bride & groom’s first dance’ in Iraq
According to officials, a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in the northern Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 100 lives and leaving over 150 individuals injured. Early Wednesday, ambulances with sirens blaring were seen arriving at the main hospital in the predominantly Christian town east of Mosul, where dozens of people had gathered in the courtyard to donate blood. Additionally, a number of individuals were observed congregating in front of the open doors of a refrigerated truck loaded with black body bags.
Iraq’s official INA news agency reported a “preliminary tally” of 100 dead and over 150 injured in the fire at a marriage hall in Hamdaniyah, as the town is also known. Health ministry spokesman Saif Al-Badr confirmed the casualty toll to AFP, stating that most of the injured were being treated for burns or oxygen deprivation, and that there had also been crowd crushes at the scene.
In an official statement, civil defense authorities have reported the discovery of prefabricated panels within the event hall that are deemed highly flammable and in violation of safety regulations. The situation was further exacerbated by the emission of toxic gases resulting from the combustion of these panels, which contain plastic materials. The statement also highlighted that the fire caused sections of the ceiling to collapse due to the utilization of inexpensive construction materials that possess a high flammability risk. Initial findings suggest that fireworks may have been the cause of the fire.
Following the incident, Rania Waad, a guest attending the wedding, suffered a burn injury to her hand. She recounted that during the bride and groom’s slow dance, the fireworks began to ascend towards the ceiling, resulting in the rapid engulfment of the entire hall in flames. Overwhelmed with emotion, the 17-year-old expressed that the lack of visibility and suffocating conditions made it challenging for them to find an escape route.
Emergency response teams were observed meticulously examining the charred remnants of the event hall during the early hours of Wednesday, utilizing flashlights to thoroughly assess the scene.
In a concise statement, Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani has urged the health and interior ministers to activate all rescue efforts to assist the victims of the recent fire. The health ministry has confirmed that medical aid trucks have been dispatched from Baghdad and other provinces, and its teams in Nineveh have been mobilized to provide care for the injured. Unfortunately, safety standards in Iraq’s construction sector are often overlooked, and the country’s infrastructure is in disrepair after years of conflict, resulting in fatal fires and accidents.
Notably, in July 2021, a fire in a Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq claimed over 60 lives, while in April of the same year, a fire at a Baghdad hospital dedicated to Covid patients killed over 80 people due to exploding oxygen tanks. Qaraqosh, like many Christian towns in the Nineveh Plains, was ravaged by Daesh jihadists in 2014. However, the town and its churches were gradually rebuilt after the group’s defeat in 2017, and Pope Francis visited the town in March 2021.
