ALBAWABA - A devastating fire erupted in a wedding hall in the Iraqi city of Nineveh claiming the lives of at least 100 people while 150 were reportedly injured, Iraqi News Agency reported.
Meanwhile, Nineveh Deputy Governor Hassan al-Allaq told Reuters agency that 113 people had been confirmed dead, with state media putting the death toll at at least 100, with 150 people injured.
The local civil defense said that the fire tore through a massive wedding venue in Nineveh after fireworks were lit as the wedding attendees were celebrating, with an estimated number of 300 people.
Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old who escaped the fire, told Reuters: "We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn't get stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken,".
Local authorities announced a mourning period of 7 days, as the city suffered a massive disaster. State media reported that the building was made of highly flammable construction materials, contributing to its rapid collapse.
Civil defense authorities said in their statement that the presence of prefabricated panels at the event hall that were "highly flammable and contravened safety standards".
"The fire caused some parts of the ceiling to fall due to the use of highly flammable, low-cost construction materials,".
Video clips shared on social media and apparently recorded seconds before the fire broke out showed flaming pieces of paneling falling from the hall's ceiling. Wedding guests are also seen rushing up from their seats and fleeing to safety.
Iraq's prime minister posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had told officials to "mobilize all efforts to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate incident".
