At least 100 people have died and 150 others injured after a fire broke out at a wedding in northern Iraq, state media has reported
It is not yet clear what caused the blaze, but early reports say it broke out after fireworks were lit
Photos on social media show charred-out remains of the event hall in Qaraqosh in Iraq’s Nineveh province
The newly married couple are among the victims, according to the deputy head of the Nineveh Health Directorate.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society said more than 450 were killed and injured from the fire.
Flammable panels in the venue may have fuelled the flames, officials have said
The damage was a result of “highly flammable, low-cost building materials” in the venue, Iraq’s civil defence directorate says
Nine people who were employed at the wedding hall, where a fire killed over 100 people, have been arrested, according to an Iraqi official.
Major General Saad Maan, the director of the Department of Relations and Information in the Interior Ministry, says further arrest warrants were issued against four other employees.
He says the reasons for the tragedy were “the lack of health and safety measures, the flammable materials used in the building and apparently an indoor firework”.
The Iraqi prime minister has declared three days of national mourning.
The number of dead is unconfirmed but earlier reports by news agency INA put the death toll at at least 100, with 150 people injured.