At least 100 people were reported killed and more than 150 injured in a fire at a wedding celebration in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, Reuters news agency reported, citing state media in Iraq.
Health authorities in Nineveh province “have counted 100 dead and more than 150 injured in the fire at a marriage hall in Al-Hamdaniyah,” the official Iraqi press agency INA reported early Wednesday, citing a death toll. “preliminary”.
Iraq’s civil defense said initial reports indicate that fireworks used during the ceremony may have been the cause of the fire that devastated the large event hall located on the outskirts of the northern city of Mosul, about 400 kilometers (about 400 kilometers). 250 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad.
Video footage from the fire scene showed firefighters climbing over the charred remains of the building in search of survivors.
Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Baghdad, said flammable material used in the construction of the event hall is suspected of contributing to the massive fire.
According to official statements, the Iraqi federal authorities and the authorities of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan sent ambulances and medical teams to the scene.
More to follow soon.