A fire that raced through a hall hosting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq has killed around 100 people and injured 150 others, and authorities warn the death toll could rise.
There was no official word on the cause of the blaze, but the Kurdish television news channel Rudaw aired footage showing pyrotechnics shooting flames up from the floor of the event and setting a chandelier aflame.
Other footage shown on other local television networks appeared to show the bride and groom on the dance floor when the fire began Tuesday night, stunned by the sight of the burning debris.
Families often invite hundreds of relatives and members of the broader community, spending heavily on spectacular ceremonies with elaborately decorated halls, music and entertainers, often including pyrotechnics.
A Health Ministry official, speaking to The Associated Press at midday Wednesday on condition of anonymity as he did not have authorization to talk to journalists, put the death toll at 92, with 101 people still receiving medical treatment.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire and asked the country’s Interior and Health officials to provide relief, his office said in a statement online.
Civil defense officials quoted by the Iraqi News Agency described the wedding hall’s exterior as decorated with a highly flammable type of “sandwich panel” cladding that is illegal in the country.
The original article contains 1,047 words, the summary contains 195 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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There was no official word on the cause of the blaze, but the Kurdish television news channel Rudaw aired footage showing pyrotechnics shooting flames up from the floor of the event and setting a chandelier aflame.
Other footage shown on other local television networks appeared to show the bride and groom on the dance floor when the fire began Tuesday night, stunned by the sight of the burning debris.
Families often invite hundreds of relatives and members of the broader community, spending heavily on spectacular ceremonies with elaborately decorated halls, music and entertainers, often including pyrotechnics.
A Health Ministry official, speaking to The Associated Press at midday Wednesday on condition of anonymity as he did not have authorization to talk to journalists, put the death toll at 92, with 101 people still receiving medical treatment.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire and asked the country’s Interior and Health officials to provide relief, his office said in a statement online.
Civil defense officials quoted by the Iraqi News Agency described the wedding hall’s exterior as decorated with a highly flammable type of “sandwich panel” cladding that is illegal in the country.
The original article contains 1,047 words, the summary contains 195 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!