Iraq wedding fire: What do we know?

A fire has swept through a Christian wedding party in northern Iraq, reportedly killing more than 100 people and injuring many more. Here is what we know.

It ripped through al-Haitham Hall, a large event venue which is located on the outskirts of the northern town of Qaraqosh. Also known as Bakhdida, it is the main centre of al-Hamdaniya district and is about 15km (9 miles) south-east of the city of Mosul.

Qaraqosh was the biggest Christian town in Iraq - with a population of about 50,000, most of them Assyrians - before it was overrun by the Sunni Muslim jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in 2014. The town is still being rebuilt and about half of its residents are said to have returned.

Investigators are trying to establish the cause, but witnesses said the blaze started between 22:00 and 22:45 local time (19:00-19:45 GMT), when several fireworks were lit during the wedding.

"During the slow dance, one of the fireworks hit the roof. The ceiling caught fire suddenly and it spread everywhere because it was all made of sandwich panels, vinyl sheets and fabric."

"Everything caught fire and started falling on people's heads. Nobody was able to get out."

Rania Waad, a 17-year-old girl, who was burned on the hand, told AFP news agency that while the bride and groom were dancing, "the fireworks started to climb to the ceiling [and] the whole hall went up in flames".

It was not immediately clear if the bride and the groom were among those killed.

The man interviewed by Rudaw said he had more than 20 relatives at the wedding and that some of them were killed.

"I have a friend whose whole family died. He, his children, his mother, his wife, everyone. Many entire families died," he added. "It's a human catastrophe, an extermination."

At a local mortuary, Mariam Khedr told Reuters news agency that she was waiting for officials to return the bodies of her 27-year-old daughter, Rana Yakoub, and her three grandchildren.

Another man who was burned on his hands and face said he managed to save his three-year-old grandson, but that his wife, Bashra Mansour, who was in her 50s, fell while trying to flee the blaze and died.

More than 150 people were injured by the fire, with many suffering serious burns.

Authorities said preliminary information also suggested that the fire was started by the fireworks.

"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," the directorate said.

Interior ministry spokesman Maj Gen Saad Maan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the fire spread very quickly and was exacerbated by the release of toxic gases linked to the combustion of the composite panels, which contained plastic.

Composite panels made from plastic and aluminium installed on the sides of London's Grenfell Tower were blamed for helping flames to spread when a fire broke out in June 2017, resulting in 72 deaths.

Security forces have so far arrested nine workers at the hall as part of their investigation, according to the Nineveh Operations Command. They are also searching for the hall's owner, who has reportedly fled.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has promised that an investigative committee will be established promptly "to investigate and elucidate the accident's circumstances, pinpoint the causes, and identify any areas of negligence".

He has also ordered all relevant authorities to intensify building inspections and verification of safety procedures at shopping centres, restaurant, event halls and hotels.