In a devastating incident that unfolded late on Tuesday, a fierce fire engulfed a crowded wedding hall in northern Iraq, resulting in the loss of more than 100 lives. The tragic event occurred in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniya, a Christian town that had recently emerged from the shadows of Islamic State occupation.
Firefighters diligently combed through the charred remnants of the building throughout Wednesday morning, while heartbroken family members congregated outside a morgue in the nearby city of Mosul, overwhelmed by grief and anguish.
According to the Iraqi interior minister’s spokesperson, Khalid al-Muhanna, nine individuals have been arrested in connection with the fire. Furthermore, arrest warrants have been issued for an additional four individuals, as reported by Al-Muhanna to CNN.
Survivors of the catastrophic blaze were swiftly transported to hospitals in the Nineveh region and the neighboring Kurdistan area, as confirmed by Nineveh governor Najm Al-Jubouri in an announcement to the Iraqi state news agency, INA. At present, the final tally of casualties, both in terms of fatalities and injuries, remains to be determined.
The wedding hall where the devastating fire originated was reportedly covered with highly flammable Ecobond panels, which were in violation of safety regulations and guidelines, as stated by the Iraqi Civil Defense, as reported by INA. This alarming revelation underscores the critical need for enhanced safety measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
