Officials said early on Wednesday that a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in the northern Iraqi town of Hamdaniyah, resulting in the death of at least 113 people and leaving over 150 injured.
Nineveh Deputy Governor Hassan al-Allaq, in an interview with Reuters news agency, confirmed that 113 people have been killed so far.
Civil defence authorities stated that the hall was constructed using prefabricated panels that were highly flammable and did not meet safety standards.
The panels, which contained plastic, released toxic gases when they burned, further exacerbating the danger.
The statement mentioned that parts of the ceiling collapsed due to the fire, and preliminary information suggests that fireworks may have caused the blaze.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani issued a brief statement urging the ministers of health and the interior to mobilise all rescue efforts to assist the fire victims.
Due to the disregard for safety standards in Iraq’s construction and transport sectors, fatal fires and accidents are common in the country, which has suffered from decades of conflict and a deteriorating infrastructure.
Original from www.aljazeera.com