A tragic fire broke out during a wedding party in northern Iraq, leaving at least 100 dead and 150 injured. The incident took place in the town of Hamdaniyah, located east of Mosul.
Health authorities in Nineveh province confirmed the preliminary toll, with 100 deaths and more than 150 people injured. The images of ambulances streaming into Hamdaniyah’s main hospital are heartbreaking, showing the scale of the tragedy that has hit this small, predominantly Christian town.
According to information provided by Civil Defense, the fire was caused by highly flammable prefabricated panels which did not comply with safety standards. Fireworks used at the wedding sparked the fire, causing parts of the ceiling to fall and quickly spreading the flames.
This incident highlights the serious security problems that persist in Iraq, particularly in the areas of construction and compliance with standards. The country, with fragile infrastructure after decades of conflict, is unfortunately used to this type of disaster.
It is essential that the Iraqi authorities take strict measures to enforce security standards in public places and avoid similar tragedies in the future. A thorough investigation should be carried out to determine responsibility and prevent such safety violations from happening again.
In this difficult moment, we express our solidarity with the victims and their families. We hope that the survivors recover quickly and that the lessons learned from this tragedy will help prevent such incidents in the future.