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Who was punished after bride and groom's wedding killed more than 100 guests?
After 134 wedding guests were left dead and many more injured following a devastating fire at a reception hall in Iraq, one man was identified as the surprising culprit, according to court documents.
The huge blaze broke out at Haneen and Revan's wedding in September 2023 in Qaraqosh, a town in northern Iraq, where around 900 guests had gathered to celebrate with them.
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.
Who was to blame for the disaster that killed 134 people?
Authorities blamed the disaster on fireworks and highly combustible building materials inside the venue, which reportedly had between 900 and 1,000 people inside, doubling its maximum capacity of just 400.
As the fire took hold, the hall's owner reportedly mistook the situation for an electrical short circuit and switched off the power, which plunged the venue into darkness, contributing to what authorities described as “chaos, panic and a stampede” as guests attempted to escape.
Authorities revealed how the roof caught fire after just three seconds, before falling in on the remaining guests still inside the building, trapping and killing many.
In 2024, a court handed the owner of the venue a 10-year prison sentence “for causing a fire in the al-Haitham hall”, according to a document seen by AFP.
The tragedy also prompted action against several officials in northern Iraq, with the government confirming that a number of them had been dismissed for “gross negligence” and “failure to perform their duties”.
Iraq's issue with fire safety
This particular news comes after another devastating fire at a shopping center in the Iraqi city of Kut, which killed 61 last year and left over 200 injured. In August 2026, another fire broke out at a fuel depot in the country, injuring at least 20.
Understandably, the disaster has pointed towards wider concerns about safety standards in Iraq, where accidents frequently occur because regulations are not properly followed and buildings aren't safely built, particularly in construction and transport.
In the instance of the Kut shopping center fire, investigators found that the building had become dilapidated, with an inadequate number of fire exits and a failing, below-standard fire extinguishing system.
Despite possessing vast oil reserves, the country continues to contend with deteriorating infrastructure after decades of war, fighting, insufficient investment, and corruption.