At least 100 dead and 150 injured after fire at wedding

At least 100 people died and 150 others were injured in a fire during a mega-wedding organized in a village hall in northern Iraq, according to a “preliminary assessment” announced Wednesday by the authorities.

According to emergency services, “fireworks” and “highly flammable construction materials” were at the origin of the flames which ravaged the sumptuous reception room where several hundred guests were gathered for a wedding organized on Tuesday evening in the small Christian town of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah.

Health Ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr confirmed this report to AFP.

“Most of the injured suffer from burns and asphyxiation,” he said, also reporting stampedes.

For its part, the Iraqi Red Crescent reported “more than 450 people” killed and injured, without providing a specific toll for the deceased.