THIS is the chilling moment elaborate fireworks caused a deadly inferno to engulf a wedding ceremony in Iraq.
At least 100 people were killed and another 150 injured after a fierce fire engulfed the ceiling of Haitham Hall in Qaraqosh.
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The fire broke out as the couple began their first dance on Tuesday, reports sayCredit: Twitter/@realzaidzayn
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The horrific fire that engulfed Haitham Hall is said to have killed at least 100 people Credit: Rudaw Media
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It is unclear whether bride Haneen and groom Revan survived the infernoCredit: Twitter/@ukpa24
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The footage shows fireworks in a hall full of wedding guests Credit: Rudaw Media
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Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire that decimated the hallCredit: EPA
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Witnesses said the hall was filled with flames ‘within seconds’Credit: Alamy
The newlyweds are among those feared dead after a day of celebrations turned into disaster on Tuesday.
Hundreds of guests gathered in the banquet hall when flames began to engulf the ceiling around 10:45 p.m. local time.
They were anxiously awaiting the couple’s first dance when the fire broke out, shortly after the indoor fireworks display appeared to be starting.
As the couple descended to the floor, burning debris began to fall from the ceiling, leaving the wedding party to run for their lives.
The bride can be seen convulsing her husband in shock as flaming ash and pieces of the ceiling begin to fall.
Another clip appears to show fireworks shooting off the floor of the hall and igniting a huge chandelier.
Witnesses said the entire venue was completely engulfed in flames “within seconds” as panicked diners tried to escape.
Up to 900 men, women and children rushed for the exit, many trapped inside as thick, black smoke filled the area.
Imad Yohana, 34, told Reuters: “We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall.
“Those who made it got out, and those who didn’t got stuck. Even those who made it through were broken.”
Rania Waad, 17, described how the fireworks “started going up to the ceiling” as the newlyweds slow danced about an hour into the event.
She told AFP: “We couldn’t see anything. We were suffocating, we didn’t know how to get out.”
Officials say nine employees of the wedding venue have been arrested and have called for a thorough investigation into the fire.
It is not clear whether the bride, Haneen, and the groom, Revan, survived the inferno.
Authorities in the Iraqi province of Nineveh announced that 114 deaths have been confirmed so far.
But it is feared that the death toll could rise as emergency services continue to search the charred remains of the wedding venue.
The survivors who managed to escape, albeit with serious injuries, were taken to hospitals across the region.
The sound of ambulance sirens lingered in the air long after the fire broke out as burn victims – including children – were rushed for treatment.
They arrived at local medical centers in bandages and on oxygen, while the locals rushed to donate blood for the wounded.
Other wedding guests remained at the scene desperately searching for their loved ones who are feared to have perished in the inferno.
One man explained that several of his family members were among the victims after he was separated from them during the chaos.
He sobbed: “My mother was in the bathroom when it happened.
“I couldn’t find her afterwards. I was looking for a daughter, a son, a wife, a father and I couldn’t find them. They are gone.”
Mariam Khedr, who lost her daughter and three grandchildren in the fire, added: “This was not a wedding. This was hell.”
Preliminary evidence suggests that fireworks caught a Christian wedding and caused the fire, Iraqi civil protection authorities said.
The statement explained: “The fire caused parts of the hall to collapse as a result of the use of highly flammable, cheap building materials that collapse within minutes of a fire.”
Major General Saad Maan, director of the Department of Relations and Information at the Ministry of Interior, said nine arrests had been made and warrants had been issued for four other employees.
He said the fire broke out in the building due to “a lack of health and safety measures, flammable materials used in the building and apparently internal fireworks”.
After the fire, only charred metal and debris could be seen as people walked through the charred skeleton of the hall.
Survivors recalled how Haneen and Revan’s first dance as a married couple quickly turned deadly as they watched in horror.
One injured woman told Rudaw from a hospital gurney, “They were going to do a slow dance, and then they lit this dance thing that caught fire.”
Another man injured in the fire at the hospital similarly told Rudaw that the fire started while the couple was preparing for a slow dance.
“They set off fireworks,” he said. “He hit the ceiling and it caught fire. The whole hall was on fire in seconds.”
Ahmed Dubardani, a health official in the province, initially said the bride and groom were among those killed – but other reports claimed they survived.
He added that dozens of wedding guests who managed to get out alive suffered terrible burns.
Dubardani said, “Most of them were completely burned, and some others had 50 to 60 percent of their bodies burned.
“This is not good at all. Most of them were not in good shape.”
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire.
Father Rudi Saffar Khoury, the priest at the wedding, said it was not clear who was to blame for the fire.
Civil defense officials quoted by the Iraqi News Agency described the exterior of the wedding hall as decorated with highly flammable cladding, which is illegal in the country.
The fire caused parts of the auditorium to collapse as a result of the use of flammable, cheap building materials that collapse within minutes of a fire, officials said.
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The chandelier that hung above the heads of the guests was also lit. Credits: Twitter
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A wedding party attended by hundreds of people ended in tragedyCredit: Twitter/@realzaidzayn
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A number of children were among those who suffered serious injuriesCredit: Reuters
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Emergency services filmed on the spot in Iraq’s Nineveh provinceCredit: Reuters
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Credit: Reuters
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Horrified onlookers gathered outside the hall in search of their loved ones Credit: Reuters
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