World

More than 100 dead in Iraq wedding blaze after ‘firework set off before bride and groom’s dance’

At least 100 people have died and 150 been injured in a fire at a wedding celebration in Iraq’s Nineveh province, state media has reported

The fire ripped through a large events hall in the north-eastern region after fireworks were lit during the celebration, local civil defence said, according to state media.

Video from the site shows firefighters clambering over the charred wreckage of the building in search of survivors.

Preliminary information indicated that the building was made of highly flammable construction materials, contributing to
its rapid collapse, state media said.

Ambulances and medical crews were dispatched to the site by federal Iraqi authorities and authorities in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to official statements.

“All our hospitals are preparing to receive the wounded,” Dr. Bashar Jader, spokesman for the Nineveh General Directorate of Health, told the Rudaw news site in the country.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

More from World

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Articles You May Like

Anderson Cooper’s tribute to his friend Anthony Bourdain
Tesla shares 48V architecture with other automakers to move the industry
Cost of average Christmas dinner revealed – and the item which has increased in price the most
Israel divides Gaza into numbered blocks telling Palestinians to move before bombings begin
Sunak suffers first Commons defeat as MPs vote for infected blood compensation body