Sep 27, 2023, 9:20 AM

At least 450 killed, injured in Iraq wedding inferno

At least 450 killed, injured in Iraq wedding inferno

TEHRAN, Sep. 27 (MNA) – A fire that raced through a hall hosting a wedding in northern Iraq killed and injured at least 450 people.

The fire ripped through a large events hall in the north-eastern region after fireworks were lit during the celebration, local civil defense said, according to state media, Reuters reports.

"We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn't got stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken," said Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old who escaped the inferno.

Video shows firefighters clambering over the charred wreckage of the building, shining lights over smoldering ruins.

Preliminary information indicated that the building was made of highly flammable construction materials, contributing to its rapid collapse, state media said.

Ambulances and medical crews were dispatched to the site by federal Iraqi authorities and Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to official statements.

Eyewitnesses at the site said the building caught fire at around 10:45 p.m. local time (1945 GMT) and that hundreds of people were in attendance at the time of the incident.

MNA/PR

News ID 206485

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