The moment a devastating fire caught hold at a wedding, killing 100 guests, was caught on camera during the bride and groom's first dance.
The bride, Haneen, 18, and her husband Revan, 27, were left devastated after losing many of their loved ones during their wedding in Qaraqosh in Iraq's northern Niveneh province last week.
The newlyweds were in the middle of their first dance when large indoor sparklers appeared to set decorations on the ceiling alight, which devastatingly caused the ceiling of the building to crumble, killing 100 of their guests.
The moment the fire broke out, leading the bride, groom, and their loved one to attempt to flee the building, was captured on drone footage within the venue, showing the terrifying moments they realized something had gone wrong.
In the footage, Haneen and Revan can be seen enjoying their romantic first dance surrounded by indoor fireworks, before the groom realizes the venue has caught light and the couple and their guests begin panicking and rushing for the exit of the Al Haytham Wedding Hall.
According to state news agency INA, flammable panels used in the ceiling work may have added to the ferocity of the fire after it caught alight before collapsing on top of guests at the venue.
"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.
Hundreds of guests had been in attendance at the venue, and around 100 are believed to have lost their lives while a further 150 were injured in the incident.
Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old guest who escaped the burning building, 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 escape the blaze, 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."
Haneen and Revan shared their devastation in an interview after the tragedy, which saw Haneen lose her mother and brother among 10 family members, while Revan lost 15 relatives.
The bride was too affected to speak, but Revan told Sky News: "Inside we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside."
When asked about the cause of the blaze, which had been rumored to be started by indoor fireworks, Revan said: "It could be a short-circuit, I don't know. But the fire started in the ceiling.
"We felt the heat… When I heard the crackling I looked at the ceiling. Then the ceiling, which was all nylon, started to melt. It only took seconds."
The bride and groom managed to escape the inferno, as he explained: "I kept dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, people were trampling on her. Her legs are injured..."
Revan 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."
The couple has also said they will not be able to live in their community going forward after the intense trauma they suffered.
