In his first statement after the tragic incident, the "groom of Al-Hamdaniya" in Iraq broke his silence and revealed shocking details about the fire that claimed the lives of more than 100 people, including 10 members of the bride's family and 15 of his own.

The "groom," in a state of shock, said: "Our relatives, friends, and loved ones have gone." He added that he and his bride have become like the living dead after their wedding ceremony ended in a tragedy that left at least 100 guests dead due to the massive fire.

The bride "Hanine," who is 18 years old, lost ten family members, including her mother and brother, while the groom "Rivan," who is 27 years old, lost 15 family members after a fire broke out at their wedding celebration in northern Iraq last Tuesday evening.

The "groom" added in a statement to "Sky News" English, saying: "Inside, we are dead. We are numb."

He continued, that his bride "cannot speak" after the unfortunate incident which also left her father in critical condition, resulting in more than 150 people injured due to the flames and suffocating smoke or from the stampede to escape from the hall, which was reduced to charred ruins and piles of twisted furniture under a partially collapsed ceiling.

Officials indicated that the fireworks in the building are the expected cause of the fire outbreak, leading to a panic rush at the exit.

However, the groom "Rivan" had a different opinion, as he believes that the fire started in the ceiling for some reason, and not from a spark flying from the fireworks: "Perhaps it was a short circuit in the electrical wires, I don't know, but it started in the ceiling... We felt the heat, and when I heard a popping sound, I looked at the ceiling."

Rivan continued: "After that, the ceiling, which was made entirely of nylon, began to melt... It took just a few seconds."

The groom reveals

"Rivan" says that during the dancing, the electricity went out, and when the power returned, "he saw flames" in the ceiling, then people began "screaming" and "running away."

Regarding the initial moments after the fire broke out, and how he and his bride, who could not walk due to her wedding dress, managed to get out onto the street and escape from the burning hall, "Rivan" said: "I grabbed my wife and started pulling her, trying to get her out through the kitchen entrance. While people were fleeing, they were stepping on her. Her legs were injured."

"Rivan" pointed out that the hall had only one "non-working" fire extinguisher.

The disaster means a lot to the couple, who affirm that they can no longer stay in their hometown.

One "non-working" fire extinguisher

The couple has buried their uncles, aunts, and cousins, and they are still waiting for news about the condition of the bride's father "Hanine," and they said they can no longer live in their city and that their happiness has "been destroyed."

Regarding the details of the tragic incident, "Rivan" said that it all began after two small fireworks ignited when he and his bride started dancing, followed by four more fireworks after a few minutes.

"Rivan" emphasized that his father raised questions about the dangers of such fireworks that could cause a spark that can "fall on the bride's dress" and "ignite it," but the venue owners told them that the fireworks are electric, so "you can put your hand or even plastic on them and they won’t catch fire."

Concerning the "losses of the couple" in the incident, "Rivan" revealed that the bride lost her mother, two uncles, and two cousins, and her father is still in "critical condition," while he lost his aunt, and his uncle lost 7 family members, in addition to his sister and her husband sustaining burns.

"We buried our loved ones"

For his part, Martin Idris (19 years old), who was working in the kitchen when the fire broke out, described the incident saying: "I thought there was an explosion," and added: "The flames devoured the entire hall." He said: "When I went back inside, I saw the charred bodies of three children," adding that the emergency exits in the place proved to be "inadequate" for the hundreds of guests trying to escape.

The "initial reports" and unverified video footage online confirmed that the fireworks ignited the ceiling decorations before the flames engulfed highly flammable construction materials.

It is noteworthy that health authorities announced the death of 100 people and more than 150 injured in the fire that broke out in a wedding hall in Al-Hamdaniya, as the city is also known, while describing it as the "initial toll," according to the Iraqi News Agency.