Death toll from Iraq's wedding fire rises to 119
04 Oct 2023 11:08am
Iraqis attend a candle vigil for the victims of the wedding hall fire, at the church of Mart Shmoni, in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on September 30, 2023 - AFP
The agency cited local activists deeply affected by the tragedy as saying that the bride's father was among the victims.
Eight people were laid to rest in the Al-Hamdaniya district, east of the city of Mosul, earlier on Tuesday, the report said.
The Iraqi Red Crescent Society said last week that more than 450 people had either died or had been injured as a result of the fire.
An adviser to the Iraqi interior minister said earlier this week that an investigative commission set up to probe into the cause of the fire had concluded that it was an accident.
Al Jazeera has reported, citing the Iraqi Interior Ministry, that many people had died because the emergency exits in the wedding hall had been closed.
One of the guests posted a video on social media of the canopy on the ceiling in the centre of the hall, which was crowded with tables with food, catching fire.
The ministry has said authorities had detained 14 people involved in the incident and arrested the owner of the wedding hall - BERNAMA
