Baghdad, Oct 4:Ā A fire raged through a ballroom holding a Christian wedding in northern Iraq, killing more than 100 people and injuring 150 more. A video of the incident has since gone viral on the internet. The video, taken from inside the wedding location near the village of Qaraqosh (also known as Al-Hamdaniya), depicts the moment the fire broke out and spread within seconds. A succession of sparklers goes off around the pair, sparking the fire and sending everyone into a frenzy.
Flowers suspended from a big truss above the pair appear to provide gasoline to the fire, rising nearly instantly as embers fall to the earth. After most of the people had left the main area, gigantic beams of fire plummeted to the earth.
Footage from the aftermath of the disaster revealed the extent of the building’s devastation. Only burned metal and rubble were visible as individuals strolled through the fire scene, with the only light coming from media cameras and onlookers’ cell phones.
According to civil defense officials stated by Iraqi News Agency, the wedding hall’s outside was decked with extremely combustible cladding, which was forbidden 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 civil defense said.