A bride whose wedding turned to tragedy due to a devastating fire at the venue has been left "unable to speak" due to the grief.
Haneen, 18, and her husband Revan, 27, were in the middle of their first dance after tying the knot, when they and their hundreds of guests were forced to flee the venue when the ceiling caught alight.
Footage of the horrifying incident appeared to show indoor fireworks setting the decorations on the ceiling alight, causing the blaze to spread rapidly.
The pair lost several family members among the 100 guests that died in the tragedy, and the bride has been o affected by the horrific events that she has been left unable to speak.
Discussing the tragedy, Revan told Sky News: "[Haneen]'s lost 10 relatives from her family, her loved ones, her mom, her brother. She can't speak."
The bride did not utter a word during the interview, finding it impossible to speak in the wake of such a horrific loss.
The couple is also having to move out of their local area after the family was forced to go into hiding as members of the community are blaming them for the tragic accident.
Revan added: "That's it, we can't live here anymore. We can't live here anymore, I mean every time we try to have some happiness, something tragic happens to us and destroys the happiness so it's best for us to leave."
So far, 14 people have been arrested in the wake of the fire, including the owner of the Al Haytham Wedding Hall venue in Qaraqosh in Iraq's northern Niveneh province.
According to state news agency INA, the poor construction of the building may have added to the ferocity of the fire and the ceiling panels collapsing onto the guests below.
"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 fire breaks out," Iraq's civil defense directorate allegedly said.
Around 100 of the guests in attendance lost their lives while a further 150 were injured in the incident, with funerals having already taken place for the victims.
Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old who managed to escape the fire, told Reuters: "We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn't got stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken."
Rania Waad, 17, who also managed to get to safety, added to AFP: "Fireworks started to climb to the ceiling [and] the whole hall went up in flames.
"We couldn't see anything. We were suffocating, we didn't know how to get out."
Although Haneen and Revan made it out alive, thanks to the groom pushing his bride out of a kitchen exit, they have struggled to process their grief.
Revan shared their devastation at losing several of their family members, saying: "It's true we are sitting here in front of you alive, but inside we are dead. We are numb, we are dead inside."
He devastatingly added: "Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones are all gone. Two days ago we buried [Haneen's] uncle and his two daughters. Yesterday we buried her other uncle.
"Today we buried his daughter and we buried her mother. Her father is in a critical condition. We don't know what his condition is."
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