Nineveh Iraq – Follow-ups

Publication date: September 27, 2023 21:21 KSA

There are conflicting reports about the correct numbers of victims of a wedding hall fire in the town of Al-Hamdaniya in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. After reports emerged of the killing of 120 people and the injury of more than 200, Iraqi health spokesman Saif Al-Badr reported that the death toll from the Al-Hamdaniya Hall fire in Mosul had reached 87 people so far, while the Security Media Cell said that the death toll was 93, while it was reported that the owner of the hall had fled.

While mourning was declared for 3 days, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said: The incident is not criminal, and the Nineveh Operations Commander decided to arrest 9 people responsible for the Hamdaniya Hall after the fire. For his part, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid stressed the need to open an investigation and find out the circumstances of the Hamdaniyah district accident, and take safety measures to prevent its recurrence, while the Ministry of Interior said that the initial report of the accident indicates that the accident is not criminal, but rather “a loss of safety and security measures.” In turn, Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani urged the Ministers of Interior and Health to make every effort to provide relief to those affected by the accident. He also directed that general mourning be declared throughout Iraq for a period of 3 days.

Initial information stated that the cause of the fire was “the use of fireworks during the wedding ceremony,” which led to “a fire igniting inside the hall and then the fire circle expanding, leading to the collapse of parts of the hall, according to the Iraqi Civil Defense Forces.” The Iraqi Civil Defense said, “Initial information indicates the use of fireworks during the wedding ceremony, which led to igniting fires inside the hall at first, and the fire spread very quickly and exacerbated the matter.” He added that the concert hall lacks “the safety requirements for wet alarm and firefighting systems.” The Civil Defense Directorate also revealed the details of the fire and stated in a statement that “the wedding hall was covered with highly flammable Ecobond panels, in violation of safety instructions and referred to the judiciary, according to Civil Defense Law No. 44 of 2013 due to its lack of safety requirements for wet alarm and firefighting systems in the Al-Hamdaniyah area in Nineveh Governorate.”