450 dead and injured in wedding fire in Iraq – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

On Wednesday morning, the Red Crescent states that at least 450 people have died or been injured after the wedding fire, the BBC reports. Over 100 have been confirmed dead, according to the authorities. The party venue is completely burnt out. Steel has melted and is distorted. Large parts of the building collapsed in the fire. Rescuers have been digging in the ruins for survivors. – We saw the pulsating fire coming out of the hall. Those who made it, got out, while others were stuck. People who got out are also badly injured, says Imad Yohana, who was present at the wedding. to Reuters. The party venue in Hamdaniya is completely burnt out. Photo: KHALID AL-MOUSILY / Reuters / NTB Fireworks The bride and groom were dancing when the explosive fire started. It is currently unknown whether they are among the victims. – We couldn’t see anything. We suffocated and had no idea how to get out, says 17-year-old Waad to the AFP news agency. The fire raged through the venue after fireworks were set off in connection with the celebration, writes NTB. The building was engulfed in flames within a few minutes. A video from Reuters shows firefighters going through charred ruins in search of survivors. Ordering an investigation – We are doing everything we can to help those affected by this tragic accident, spokesman Saif al-Badr in the Ministry of Health is quoted as saying by the state-run news agency INA. Preliminary reports suggest the building was built with highly flammable materials, which may have contributed to the rapid collapse, according to state media. Prime Minister Shia al-Suadni has ordered an investigation into the fire, and has asked the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health to assist in the work after the accident, a statement from his office said. Was IS-controlled Al-Hamdaniya district is located in Nineveh province in northern Iraq. The area has a Christian majority population and is located just outside the city of Mosul, just over 33 miles north-west of Baghdad. Hamdaniya was for a period in an IS-controlled area, but was liberated after the fighting in Mosul in 2017. Many of the residents who had fled then returned. Both federal Iraqi authorities and Kurdish authorities sent ambulances and health workers.



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