450 killed, injured in fire at wedding in Iraq

Baghdad, Sep 27: (UNI) More than 450 people have either died or have been injured as a result of a fire at a wedding in the Iraqi governorate of Ninewa, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society said Wednesday.
“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 (formerly known as Twitter).
Al Arabiya reported earlier in the day that a total of 120 people died in the fire and 200 persons were injured.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid offered his condolences to the families of the victims, calling the incident a “painful tragedy.”
“We stress the need to open an investigation, find out the circumstances of the incident, and take all safety measures to prevent its recurrence,” the Rudaw broadcaster quoted Rashid as saying.
The broadcaster later reported, citing Nineveh military commander Abdullah Ramadhan, that regional authorities had arrested nine members of the venue’s management and were searching for the owner. They have been accused of dangerous negligence.
The region’s governor, Najim al-Jubouri, has declared a week of mourning in the province in connection with the incident, while Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani announced a three-day period of mourning across the country, the broadcaster reported.