Iraq: Bride and groom escaped fire through kitchen door | World News

The bride and groom at a wedding in Iraq where a blaze killed more than 100 of their guests managed to escape through a kitchen door.

The inferno killed at least 113 people and injured 130 more in the district of Hamdaniya, in the north-eastern Nineveh province, on Tuesday.

The bride, Haneen and groom, Revan Esho, were believed to have died but are now being treated at hospital in Erbil after the blaze and are in a ‘dire’ psychological state.

Grieving families have been forced to bury loved ones and held a ceremony at The Cemetery of the Resurrection.

The fire was started an hour into the event when fireworks were directed at the ceiling while the bride and groom danced.

Video purportedly showed Haneen turn around in horror to see flames burning the walls as the roof started to collapse.

The couple ran for their lives and escaped through the kitchen door, media broadcaster Rudaw reports.

Other injured guests have been transferred for treatment across hospitals in cities including Erbil, Mosul and Duhok. 

Hamdaniya, also known as Qaraqosh, survived occupation by ISIS and a wedding guest said the wedding tragedy ‘hurt us more than ISIS’.

‘This was not a wedding. This was hell,’ guest Mariam Khedr said while waiting at a morgue in Mosul for the bodies of her daughter and three grandchildren, one of whom was just eight months old.

Another said: ‘I lost my daughter, her husband and their three-year-old. They were all burned. My heart is burning.’

The Interior Ministry said 14 people have been arrested including the owners of the events hall, and promised a swift investigation with results announced within 72 hours.

The groom’s dad said he believes the owner of the hall is responsible for the fire, when he talked to CNN.

The immediate inspection of large public gathering spaces like hotels, schools and hospitals has also been ordered by the government.

Three people at the wedding said the hall appeared poorly equipped because there were no visible fire extinguishers and few fire exits.

The preliminary information indicates the building had highly flammable construction materials, which contributed to its collapse.

Imad Yohana, 34, who escaped the fire, said: ‘We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn’t got stuck.’

A priest at the Al-Tahira Church in Qaraqosh told mourners Iraq is united in griefbut criticised officials for ‘your corruption, your favouritism.’

The US confirmed it was ready to talk to the Iraqi government about offering support.

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