Tragedy As Bride, Groom, Over 100 Others Perish In Fire Outbreak At Wedding Reception (Photos)

Tragedy struck in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province on Tuesday night when a fire outbreak trapped a newly wedded bride, groom and over 100 people in a fully packed wedding hall.

Naija News gathered that both the bride and groom, alongside over 100 others, have so far been confirmed dead from the tragic event.

According to Reuters news agency, Nineveh Deputy Governor Hassan al-Allaq has confirmed that the fire broke at about 10:45 pm local time (19:45 GMT) on Tuesday night killing 113 people, including the newlyweds.

It was learned that about 150 other people had been injured in the fire incident, as rescuers searched the building for survivors into the early hours of Wednesday.

Eyewitnesses narrated to the platform that when the fire started, hundreds of people in attendance at the wedding were trapped in the hall.

The reports disclosed that the local civil defence the cause of the fire was linked to fireworks that were lit during the celebration.

It was, however, gathered that fireworks are a common feature of wedding celebrations in Iraq and at the time the fire broke out, some 1,000 people were reported to have been present at the celebration.

Iraq’s civil defence said, “Preliminary information indicates that fireworks were used during a wedding, which triggered a fire in the hall.”

Local media also reports that the information indicated that the building was made of highly flammable construction materials, contributing to its rapid collapse, state media said.

Ambulances and medical crews were dispatched to the site by federal Iraqi authorities and Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to official statements.

Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old who escaped the inferno, told the platform, “We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out, and those who didn’t got stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken.”

“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.

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

See some photos below.