Chilling moment wedding fireworks set ceiling on fire sparking horror inferno that kills at least 100 in Iraq
THIS is the chilling moment an elaborate fireworks display sparked a deadly inferno that ripped through a wedding ceremony in Iraq.
At least 100 people have died and another 150 are injured after the ferocious blaze devoured the ceiling of Haitham Hall in Qaraqosh.
The newlyweds are among those feared dead after the day of celebration turned into a disaster on Tuesday.
Hundreds of guests were gathered in the banqueting hall when flames began to engulf the ceiling at around 10.45pm local time.
They were eagerly awaiting the couple’s first dance when the blaze erupted, shortly after an indoor fireworks display appeared to begin.
As the pair took to the floor, burning debris began to fall from the ceiling, leaving wedding guests running for their lives.
The bride can be seen clutching her husband in shock as flaming cinders and chunks of the ceiling begin to drop down.
Another clip appears to show fireworks shooting up from the floor of the hall and setting an enormous chandelier alight.
Witnesses said the entire venue was totally engulfed in flames “in seconds” as panicked guests attempted to flee.
Up to 900 men, women and children rushed towards the exit, with many left trapped inside as thick, black smoke filled the venue.
Imad Yohana, 34, told Reuters: “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.”
Rania Waad, 17, described how fireworks “started to climb the ceiling” as the newlyweds were slow dancing around 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 called for a thorough investigation into the blaze.
It is unclear whether the bride, Haneen, and groom, Revan, survived the inferno.
Authorities in ‘s Nineveh province said up to 114 have been confirmed dead so far.
But it is feared the death toll could rise as emergency services continue to scour the charred remains of the wedding venue.
Survivors who managed to escape, albeit with severe injuries, have been transferred 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 ferried for treatment.
They arrived at local medical centres in bandages and receiving oxygen, while 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 several members of his family were among the victims after he was split up from them during the chaos.
He sobbed: “When it happened, my mother was in the bathroom.
“I couldn’t find her after. I searched for my daughter, my son, my wife, my father and I couldn’t find them. They are gone.”
Mariam Khedr, who lost her daughter and three grandchildren in the blaze, added: “This was not a wedding. This was hell.”
Preliminary evidence suggests fireworks tore through the Christian wedding and sparked the fire, Iraqi civil defence authorities said.
A statement explained: “The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when fire breaks out.”
Major General Saad Maan, the director of the Department of Relations and Information in the Interior Ministry, said nine had been arrested and warrants had been issued against four other employees.
He said the fire engulfed the building due to “the lack of health and safety measures, the flammable materials used in the building and apparently an indoor firework”.
In the aftermath of the blaze, only charred metal and debris could be seen as people walked through the scorched skeleton of the venue.
Survivors have recalled how Haneen and Revan’s first dance as a married couple rapidly turned deadly as they watched in horror.
One injured woman told Rudaw from a hospital gurney: “They were about to do a slow dance and then they lit up this thing for the dance which caught fire.”
Another man injured in the fire at the hospital similarly told Rudaw that the blaze started as the couple prepared for their slow dance.
“They lit up fireworks,” he said. “It hit the ceiling, which caught fire. The entire 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 claim they survived.
He added that dozens of wedding guests who had managed to make it out alive suffered horror burns.
Dubardani said: “The majority of them were completely burned and some others had 50 to 60 per cent of their bodies burned.
“This is not good at all. The majority of them were not in good condition.”
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered an investigation into the fire.
Father Rudi Saffar Khoury, a priest at the wedding, said it was unclear who was to blame for the fire.
Civil defence officials quoted by the Iraqi News Agency described the wedding hall’s exterior as decorated with highly flammable cladding that is illegal in the country.
The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when the fire breaks out, the authority said.
