114 killed, over 200 wounded in Iraq fire

BAGHDAD — Up to 114 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a huge wedding hall fire in a town in Iraq's northern Nineveh Province, its governor told reporters on Wednesday.

The fire broke out on Tuesday night in the al-Haytham Wedding Hall in al-Hamdaniya town, 35 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital Mosul, the official Iraqi News Agency, or INA, quoted the Iraqi Civil Defense as saying earlier.

It said initial reports indicated that fireworks were used during the celebration, which may have caused the fire.

The building was covered with highly flammable materials, which accelerated the fire that led to the collapse of part of the building, the INA said, adding that an investigation was launched into the incident.

Health Ministry spokesman Sayf al-Badr said the situation is under control and that the ministry is following the incident closely.

"All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident," al-Badr said.

The INA reported that the Health Minister issued instructions to the health departments in the neighboring provinces of Kirkuk and Salahudin to send ambulances to help evacuate the victims.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani made a phone call to Nineveh Governor Najm al-Jubouri to learn about the situation and ordered the interior and health ministers to support the affected people, a statement by the prime minister's media office said.

Following developments

"We are following the tragic developments in the town of al-Hamdaniya following the painful accident that caused a number of victims and injuries," Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi said in a tweet.

Survivors arrived at local hospitals in bandages and were receiving oxygen, as their families milled through hallways as workers organized more oxygen cylinders. Some of those burned included children. Ambulance sirens wailed for hours as paramedics brought out the injured.

Other footage shown on other local television networks appeared to show the bride and groom on the dance floor when the fire began on Tuesday night, stunned by the sight of burning debris. It was not immediately clear if they were among those hurt.

"They were about to do a slow dance and then they lit up this thing for the dance which caught fire," one injured woman told Rudaw news network from a hospital gurney.

Another injured man at the hospital similarly told Rudaw that the blaze started as the couple prepared for their slow dance. "They lit up fireworks. It hit the ceiling, which caught fire," he said. "The entire hall was on fire in seconds."

Xinhua - Agencies