HAMDANIYA, Iraq. A joyful wedding celebration in northern Iraq took a devastating turn as an inferno engulfed the Haitham Royal Wedding Hall, leaving nearly 100 people dead and sending shockwaves through the predominantly Christian community.
The evening began with guests gathered to witness the bride and groom’s first dance. Among them was Faten Youssef, who couldn’t help but envision her son’s future wedding, seated beside her at a reception table. However, tragedy struck within moments, shattering the atmosphere of joy.
As the dance commenced, pyrotechnic machines on the floor released sparks into the air, accompanied by music that filled the hall. To the horror of those present, flames erupted from ceiling panels located above the machines.
Panic swept through the approximately 250 guests, who scrambled for the exits as fiery decorations and pieces of the ceiling rained down upon them. Authorities reported that around 100 people lost their lives in the catastrophe, with the toll expected to rise due to the critical condition of many of the 100 injured. The use of highly flammable building materials was cited as a contributing factor to the disaster.
This tragedy marks another grim chapter for Iraq’s Christian minority, which has faced relentless challenges over the past decade due to militant attacks, leading to a significant reduction in its population.
The cause of the fire remains officially undisclosed, but footage aired on Kurdish television news channel Rudaw showed flames erupting from the ceiling above a chandelier as the spark machines below emitted fireworks.
Faten Youssef, an eyewitness, recounted the chaos. “Flames started falling on us,” she said. “Things were falling down and blocked the way to the exit.” Youssef’s son attempted to assist her and her daughter in escaping, but in the chaos, her husband went missing. Eventually, they managed to exit through another door, finding her husband safe outside.
Another guest, Nabil Ibrahim, was fortunate to be outside the hall with one of his sons when the fire erupted. His wife, daughter, and another son were still inside. He and his son rushed back in to rescue their family. “I saw people burning and screaming,” he said. They managed to escape through the kitchen, finding the rest of their family outside.
Some reports suggest that a bulldozer was used to create a hole in the hall’s wall to aid in the rescue efforts. However, by the time this happened, most of the people inside had already succumbed to the blaze.
Ambulance sirens echoed for hours after the fire, as survivors arrived at local hospitals for treatment. The wedding hall was left in disarray, strewn with torn clothes, children’s shoes, and baby bottles, as seen in images on Rudaw and social media.
A Health Ministry official, speaking anonymously, indicated that the death toll stood at 94, with around 100 individuals receiving medical treatment. The official added that the death toll was expected to rise due to the severity of injuries, and many of the bodies were too badly burned to be identified without DNA testing.
This tragedy has deeply affected the region of Hamdaniya, known for its diverse population of Christians, Muslims, and other minority groups. The number of Christians in Iraq has dwindled to an estimated 150,000 from 1.5 million in 2003, with many leaving for countries like Europe, Australia, and the United States.
Iraq’s Prime Minister has ordered an investigation into the incident, while the Interior Ministry highlighted a lack of safety and security measures at the venue. Nine workers at the wedding hall were reportedly arrested.
Chonny Suleiman Naboo, one of the venue’s owners, attributed the fire to an “electrical fault in the ceiling.” He maintained that the venue had received all necessary approvals and indicated that his brother and the hall’s supervisor would cooperate with authorities.
Civil defense officials reported that the exterior of the wedding hall was covered with a highly flammable type of “sandwich panel” cladding, which is illegal in Iraq. This material is known to rapidly collapse when exposed to fire and is deemed unsafe, particularly in buildings lacking adequate fire safety measures.
The tragedy has left Hamdaniya in mourning, as hundreds gathered in a local Christian cemetery to attend the funerals of some of the victims. Coffins, draped in white cloth and adorned with flowers, were solemnly carried into the cemetery, where mourners wept and held portraits of the departed.
Faten Youssef, who survived the harrowing ordeal, vowed never to attend another wedding party. “My son told me that if he gets married, he will never have an event like this – just a church ceremony,” she said, highlighting the enduring impact of this tragic incident on the community.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
