At least 100 people died and 150 were injured in a fire during a wedding party in Iraq. According to state media reported this Wednesday morning (27) — Tuesday night (26) Brasília time — the incident occurred in the district of Hamdaniya, in the province of Nineveh.
According to local sources, the confirmed number of deaths is expected to increase.
The fire ripped through a large event hall after fireworks were set off during the celebration, Iraqi civil defense said.
Video from a Reuters news agency correspondent at the scene showed firefighters climbing through the charred remains of the building in search of survivors.
At the main hospital in Hamdaniya, a predominantly Christian area east of the Mosul metropolis, an AFP photographer saw numerous ambulances arriving with sirens blaring. There was also a concentration of people, including relatives of the victims and volunteers who wanted to donate blood to help with emergency care.
In the same location, a refrigerated truck, with open doors, stored dozens of body bags.
Preliminary information indicated that the building was made of highly flammable construction materials, which contributed to its rapid collapse.
Ambulances and medical teams were sent to the scene by Iraqi federal authorities and authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, according to official statements.
Respect for safety standards in Iraq is historically flawed, both in the construction and transport sectors.
The country, with infrastructure deteriorated after decades of conflict, is regularly the scene of fires or fatal accidents.
In July 2021, a fire in a unit for treating those infected with Covid-19 in a hospital in southern Iraq caused the death of more than 60 people. Months earlier, in April of that year, an explosion of oxygen tanks also caused a fire in another hospital in Baghdad dedicated to treating Covid — more than 80 people died at the time.
