Tragedy strikes: Fire claims over 100 lives at Baghdede wedding

In Baghdede, Iraq, a wedding celebration turned tragic due to a deadly fire, raising questions around safety and systemic failures.

People gather at the site of a fatal fire in the district of Hamdaniya, Nineveh province, Iraq, on 27 September. Source: AP / Farid Abdulwahed/AP/AAPImage

In the picturesque city of Bakhdida, on the Nineveh Plains near Mosul, Iraq, where many Assyrian Christians live, a joyous celebration turned into a nightmarish tragedy that left the community and the nation in shock and mourning.

A young couple had gathered with their loved ones to celebrate their wedding day.

Little did they know that this event would soon be marred by a fire that would claim the lives of more than 100 people and leave over 110 injured.

An Iraqi boy receives medical treatment at a local hospital in Hamdaniya, in Iraq's Nineveh province, north of Iraq, 27 September 2023. Source: EPA / MOHAMAD SAIF/EPA/AAPImage

As the newlyweds took to the dance floor, fireworks were organised to add a touch of magic to the festivities.

With its low ceiling, the reception hall held a decorative feature directly above the dance floor - a design made from bundles of hay and cardboard.

As the sparks from the fireworks danced in the air, disaster struck. Within moments, the decorative ceiling ignited, engulfing the entire area in flames.

People gather outside the scene of a fire that broke out at a wedding hall in Hamdaniya. Source: EPA / MOHAMAD SAIF/EPA/AAPImage

Videos captured by guests inside the hall show the horrifying scene as the fire rapidly consumed the ceiling, sending fiery embers raining down onto the dance floor.

The wedding guests, estimated to be over 800, rushed toward the exits, desperately seeking safety amidst the chaos.

Baghdede, Iraq. Credit: BBC.jpg

This wasn't the first time such an incident occurred in the ill-fated reception hall. Eyewitnesses reported that a similar fire incident had taken place a few years earlier, but it had been swiftly extinguished.

The grim circumstances surrounding this tragedy have raised serious questions about Iraq's safety standards and oversight.

Many Iraqi media outlets point fingers at a "corrupt" system that allows such a horrific incident. The public and the media in Iraq are demanding answers.

Fire is said to have "come down like rain" while the wedded couple were dancing. Credit: social media

One pressing inquiry by some members of the public pertains to how the building obtained approval from authorities despite claims of glaring fire hazards and a lack of essential safety features.

For example, people ask why the hall designed to accommodate more than 600 people had only a single exit/entry door, barely exceeding one metre in width.

Iraqi media claimed to have uncovered documents showing pictures of the approval to build the hall without required measures and adherence to safety regulations.

As the grieving process begins and investigations unfold, the loss of more than 100 lives (when this article was published) has reinforced calls for more rigorous safety standards.

Our contributor from Duhok, Naseem Sadiq, filed this audio report interviewing survivors and the doctors treating the injured in the Duhok hospital.