World4 min(s) read
A bride and groom have made a heartwrenching confession after more than 100 people died at their wedding.
Haneen and Revan survived the September 2023 disaster at Al-Haitham Wedding Hall in Qaraqosh, in northern Iraq's Nineveh province, where around 900 guests had gathered to celebrate with them.
At least 150 people were injured in the blaze, which spread through the venue during the couple's wedding celebration.
The newlyweds said the scale of their loss had left them unable to imagine continuing their lives in their hometown.
"That's it, we can't live here anymore. We can't live here anymore," Revan told Sky News. "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."
"It's true that we're sitting here in front of you alive. But inside we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside," he added.
Haneen lost 10 members of her family, including her mother and brother, while her father was left in critical condition. Revan said 15 members of his own family died.
He explained that Haneen had been so affected by the tragedy that she "can't speak".
The days following what should have been one of the most joyful moments of their lives instead became consumed by funerals and updates about their relatives.
"Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones are all gone.. Two days ago, we buried her [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," Revan said.
"My aunt died. My sister had burns. Her husband has burns all over his body. My uncle lost 7 members. So many people. And every day we hear more news."
He added: “On the wedding night… why did this happen? What did we do? Why did this happen?”
The fire broke out late in the evening as the couple took to the floor to dance, with guests gathered around them.
Initial reports suggested fireworks used during the dance caused the blaze; however, Revan said he believed the fire began in the ceiling.
"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," he said. "Then the ceiling, which was all nylon, started to melt. It only took seconds."
According to Revan, a power cut occurred during the dance. When the electricity returned, he said he "saw fire" in the ceiling, and that's when guests began to "scream" and "run away".
As panic spread through the venue, Revan said he tried to get Haneen to safety through a kitchen entrance.
"I grabbed my wife, and I began to drag her. 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," he said.
The couple eventually managed to escape through a kitchen door.
Revan claimed there was only one fire extinguisher available inside the hall and that it "didn't work".
The Civil Defence Directorate told the Iraqi News Agency that the banquet hall was covered with highly flammable composite panels that would violate safety regulations.
"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," the directorate said, according to The Independent.
Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari said a preliminary investigation found the blaze was "caused by fireworks, which led to the roof burning heavily and collapsing on the citizens," per INA.
The BBC reported that 14 people were arrested following the fire, including four people involved in setting off the fireworks. Some were subsequently released.
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