At least 114 people died this Wednesday and more than 200 were injured in a fire that occurred at a wedding party in Hamdaniyah, a small town in northern Iraq, health authorities announced.
“The death toll is 114 and there are more than 200 injured,” said the governor of Nineveh province, Najim al-Juburi, in statements to the press about the consequences of the fire.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health stated that “the situation is under control” and that it is using “all its capabilities” to care for the wounded.
The Iraqi Civil Protection said that “fireworks were used during the wedding, causing a fire at the venue.”
The fire caused “parts of the roof” to fall due to the use of highly flammable construction materials that violate safety regulations,” he added, in a note sent to the press.
At the main hospital in Hamdaniya, a predominantly Christian city east of Mosul and about 335 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, an AFP photographer saw several ambulances arriving.
Dozens of people, including relatives of victims and residents, were in the hospital courtyard to donate blood.
The governor of Nineveh province, Najim al-Juburi, said some of the wounded had been transferred to regional hospitals and warned that the death toll could still rise.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani ordered the mobilization of all resources to help those affected.
In Iraq, safety standards are poorly respected, both in the construction and transportation sectors. The country, with its infrastructure in poor condition after decades of conflict, is periodically the scene of fires or fatal domestic accidents.
News updated at 8:15 am
Source: TSF
