What was supposed to be one of the happiest days in the lives of newlyweds Revan and Haneen ended in tragedy after a fire broke out at their wedding, killing over 100 guests.
The tragic event took place on Sep. 26 while the couple was slow-dancing at their wedding venue located in Qaraqosh, near the city of Mosul, in Iraq.
A video shows the couple and their guests desperately screaming and running for their lives while burning pieces of the ceiling began falling on top of them.
Image credits: Sky News
One survivor of the blaze, 17-year-old Rania Waad, told news agency AFP she remembered seeing “fireworks starting 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,” she said.
The bride, 18, lost her mother and brother among 10 of her family members as a result of the tragedy, while the groom, 27, lost 15 relatives, including his mother.
Another guest said that everyone lost a family member that day.
Haneen lost her mother and brother, while the groom lost 15 family members, including his mother
Image credits: Sky News
“We are sitting here in front of you alive. But inside, we’re dead. We are numb,” Revan Isho, the husband, told Sky News. His wife remained silent during the interview, as she was too devastated to speak.
Haneen’s father is currently in critical condition, fighting for his life in the intensive care unit.
Revan explained how he saved his wife when the fire broke out, helping her escape when her long dress didn’t allow her to run.
The fire is said to have been caused by indoor fireworks that ignited flammable material on the ceiling
Image credits: Sky News
Image credits: Sky News
“I kept dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, they were trampling on her,” the groom said. “Her legs are injured. Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones, are all gone.”
The main hypothesis put forward by authorities is that indoor fireworks ignited the decorations on the ceiling, which were made of cheap, flammable material. Still, Revan maintains that the fireworks were not the cause of the fire and a shortcut might’ve caused the disaster.
So far, 14 people have been arrested for the catastrophe, including the venue's owner
Image credits: Sky News
The groom’s father is said to have questioned the safety of indoor fireworks prior to the ceremony, to which the venue responded that they couldn’t cause harm because they were electric.
Gen Saad Faleh, the head of the Iraqi investigative committee, explained that the four pyrotechnic devices shot sparks 4m (13ft) into the air, a distance that “allowed them to reach the hall's ceiling, ultimately leading to the fire."
The Interior Minister, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, noted that the hall had a capacity of 500 guests, but "twice the number" were inside when the catastrophe happened.
The venue only had three exits, and guests are reported to have created a stampede while trying to exit the building.
"Inside, we are dead. We are numb," 27-year-old husband Revan said of the tragic incident
Image credits: Sky News
Speaking about the disaster, Prime Minister al-Sudani expressed his commitment to having those responsible be subject to “the toughest punishments permitted by law” as a consequence of their “negligence or failings that led to this tragic fire.”
According to the state-run Iraqi News Agency, the wedding venue violated the state’s safety regulations, given that the hall was covered in highly combustible panels.
You can watch the couple's interview below
So far, 14 people have been arrested for the devastating incident, including the venue’s owner, Sky News reported.
Revan and Haneen have decided to move from their hometown in the hope of leaving the heartbreaking day behind and building a new life as a married couple.
“We can’t live here anymore. Every time we try to have some happiness, something tragic happens to us, so it’s best for us to leave,” the husband said.
People offered their condolences after the devastating events and wished for the couple to find peace
