Soldiers and emergency responders gather around ambulances carrying wounded people after a fire broke out at a wedding hall during a celebration, outside the Hamdaniyah General Hospital in Bakhdida, Iraq on September 27, 2023. (AFP)

More than 450 persons were killed or injured as a result of a fire during a wedding in the Iraqi governorate of Nineveh, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society.

"The death toll and casualties from a fire at a wedding hall in Al-Hamdaniya District east of [the city of] Mosul has surpassed 450," the organization said in a post on X.

According to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, more than 450 persons were killed or injured as a result of a fire during a wedding in the Iraqi governorate of Nineveh.

#Iraq #fire
The number of people killed and injured in a fire at a wedding in Iraq has exceeded 450, the Iraqi Red Crescent reports.
According to #preliminary data, the fire started in the wedding hall, probably fireworks were used there (video from social networks). pic.twitter.com/wSfqyjTCK0
— Mahmood Khan (@Mahmood88239370) September 27, 2023

CCTV footage shared on social media shows well-dressed wedding guests fleeing for their lives as fireballs rain down on the reception area. Other images show smoke billowing from the Al-Hamdaniya district building. On Tuesday evening, at about 10.45 p.m. local time, a fire broke out.

#Iraq 🇮🇶 100 people, including the bride and groom, were killed and 150 injured in a fire at a #wedding ceremony. pic.twitter.com/ZMS8clwiJb
— Abdul R@him. (@AbdulRahim9890) September 27, 2023

"We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn’t got stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken," said 34-year-old Imad Yohana, who escaped the flames at the wedding.

As those celebrating the wedding fled, terrifying footage from the event showed fire stuff falling onto the dancefloor. Other films showed firefighters searching through the burned wreckage of the structure for possible survivors.

Rescue teams at the scene

Firefighters and investigators were at the scene until the early hours of Wednesday morning, attempting to determine what caused the fire. As visitors strolled through the wedding location, only scorched metal and debris could be seen, with the only light coming from media cameras and the lights on observers' mobile phones.

Iraqi Ministry of Health spokesman Saif Al-Badr said in a statement that the Minister of Health, Saleh Mahdi Al-Hasnawi, had directed that the ministry's departments in Nineveh and its surrounding areas be mobilized to rescue and treat people injured in the fire.

According to Saif al-Badr, "All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident." The provincial governor of Nineveh, Najim al-Jubouri, stated that some of the injured had been brought to local hospitals. Thousands of people are said to have visited hospitals to donate blood to individuals who were hurt in the fire.

What caused the fire?

Initial reports indicated that fireworks used during the ceremony may have been the source of the fire that blasted through the event hall as celebrations were in full gear, according to Iraq's civil defense. The official cause, however, has yet to be determined.

BREAKING: Fire breaks out at wedding hall in northern Iraq, killing at least 100 people - INA pic.twitter.com/PvfJ1psHRN
— BNO News (@BNONews) September 26, 2023

According to civil defense officials quoted by the Iraqi News Agency, the façade of the building was decorated with extremely combustible cladding, which is forbidden in the country. The civil defense said: "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."