Fire in Iraq event hall kills nearly 100
The Word | Sept. 27, 2023 | Updated 3:11 pm EST
A fire that broke out at an event venue in Bakhdida, Iraq early Wednesday morning has reportedly killed 94, according to Iraqi government tolls. Previous government reports listed the death toll at more than 100.
BBC reported at least 100 have died in the fire that ravaged an Assyrian wedding, citing Iraq’s state news agency. Iraqi state media quoted interior minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari saying the fire was caused by the use of indoor fireworks. Officials suspect alleged building safety code violations as factors that contributed to the flames.
Ambulances unload at a hospital. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has asked the country’s interior and health ministries to provide relief. (Photo/Allen Kakony)
Video footage from Facebook users, also shared by local news stations including Radio Alghad, shows flames billowing into the night sky from within a building. Radio Alghad identifies the venue as Al-Haitham Royal Hall.
Citing Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) health minister Saman Barzanji, Kurdistan 24 reported KRI Prime Minister Masrour Barzani ordered a “large number of ambulances” from Erbil to Bakhdida to “help transport the injured”.
Bakhdida, located in the Nineveh Governorate about 32 km southeast of Mosul, is a predominantly Assyrian-populated town in Iraq’s north. It was ravaged by ISIS in 2014 at a time when it was considered the largest Christian town in the country. The wedding blaze comes as the community is picking up the pieces of war and occupation years later.
Iraqi state media reported late Wednesday the owner of the hall has been arrested.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered an investigation and asked the country’s health and interior ministers to assist with relief efforts. The mayor of Bakhdida, Isam Daaboul, did not respond to The Word’s request for comment.
Ano Abdoka, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s transport and communication minister, said on X: “…all the capabilities of the Kurdistan Regional Government are being harnessed to rescue the victims of the fire in the Christian city of Bakhdida in the Nineveh Plain.”
Abdoka told The Word he is on an “official visit in the U.S.” and did not provide comment on the fire.
The Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) said on X Wednesday its secretary general Yacoob G. Yaqo and a cohort of its leaders arrived at Bakhdida. The party is “directing all of our Comrades to provide assistance and contribute medical supplies and blood donations” to the hospitals treating the wounded.
Eyewitness video shows the start of the fire at Al Haitham Royal Hall as sparklers, also being referred to as fireworks by officials, appear to reach decorations hanging from the ceiling. (Video/Ankawa Today via Telegram)
Editor’s note: This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
This piece was previously posted under the headline: “Preliminary reports: Fire erupts at Bakhdida event hall”