A fire that raced through a hall hosting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq killed more than 100 people and injured 150 others last week on Tuesday. A video of the incident has now gone viral online.
The video from the inside of the wedding venue near the village of Qaraqosh (also known as Al-Hamdaniya) shows the moment when fire broke out, and the flames spread within seconds.
The couple can be seen dancing when a series of sparklers goes off around them, starting the blaze and sending guests into a panic.
Flowers hanging from a massive truss above the couple seem to act as fuel to the flames, going up almost immediately as embers fall to the ground. After most had evacuated the main room, huge beams, completely on fire, crashed to the ground.
Footage after the incident showed the intense destruction caused to the building. Only charred metal and debris was seen as people walked through the scene of the fire, the only light coming from television cameras and the lights of onlookers’ mobile phones.
Civil defense officials quoted by the Iraqi News Agency described the wedding hall’s exterior as being decorated with highly flammable cladding that was illegal in the country.
“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,” civil defense said.