BAGHDAD: At least 114 people died and some 200 were injured in a fire at a wedding party in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh on Tuesday, Governor Najim al-Jabouri said.
Ahmed Dubardani, deputy head of the health authority there, spoke of 500 injured, according to Kurdish news website Rudaw. Pictures of the disaster showed a collapsed and burnt-out hall in the town of Al-Hamdaniya, some 20 kilometres east of Mosul inIraq's northwest.
Burning pieces of the room's panelling can be seen falling from the ceiling, in videos posted on social media purporting to show the beginning of the fire. Wedding guests are seen jumping up from tables and trying to get to safety while the wedding couple on the dance floor appears to be in shock.
The hall used for weddings had been equipped with cheap, highly flammable panelling, explained the Civil Defence, in violation of safety standards. There was also no fire alarm system in place.
The fire caused the hall to collapse. Rescue workers searched for survivors under the rubble as crowds gathered at the scene.
Some eyewitnesses said that fireworks started the fire, but there was no official confirmation.
It was initially unclear why highly flammable material was presumably used in the construction of the hall, though rampant corruption and mismanagement in the country also affect the construction sector.
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani instructed the interior and health ministries to provide all possible assistance to those affected.
The prime minister also spoke by phone with Nineveh Governor al-Jabouri to inquire about the impact of the fire, state news agency INA reported.
