A fire destroyed a large banquet hall in Iraq Wednesday, killing at least 114 people and injuring 150 others who were celebrating a Christian wedding, authorities announced.
The fast-moving fire burned the hall to the ground in the predominantly Christian Hamdaniya area of Iraq’s Nineveh province, authorities said.
The exterior walls of the event space were reportedly covered with highly flammable cladding that is illegal in the country, a civil defense official was quoted as saying by the state-run Iraqi News Agency.
“The fire caused part of the hall to collapse due to the use of highly flammable and low-cost building materials which collapsed within minutes when the fire broke out,” the civil defense said.
All that was left of the place was charred metal and debris after the fire was put out.
It is not clear how the place’s illegal use of cladding got past the authorities.
Building materials used to cover the exterior of structures are banned in several countries that have experienced similar fatal fires in structures wearing combustible cladding. These materials are often not designed to meet the same safety standards as structural materials.
The fatal fire leveled the highly flammable cladding on the exterior of the building. AFP via Getty Images
The cause of the fire is still being determined but fireworks in the hall may have ignited, Kurdish news channel Rudaw reported.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for an investigation into the deadly fire and ordered the country’s Interior and Health officials to provide aid to those affected.
The health department in Nineveh province said the death toll was 114 and Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said the number of injured was about 150 via the Iraqi News Agency – although authorities warned both figures could rise.
“All efforts are being made to provide assistance to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” said al-Badr.
Many of the injured were treated at local hospitals where they were given oxygen.
With Postal wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
