The Governor of Nineveh, Najm al-Jabouri, announced a week of mourning following the fire that occurred in a wedding hall in Hamdaniya, as reported by the Iraqi News Agency "Waa" today, Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

The official Iraqi news agency reported that the death toll from the wedding fire in Nineveh Province has risen to 114 dead and about 200 injured.

The fire broke out during a wedding ceremony in the district of Hamdaniya in Nineveh Province, where flames engulfed the wedding hall located in Hamdaniya, east of Mosul. Firefighting teams rushed to control the blaze. The Iraqi Ministry of Health sent reinforcements from Baghdad and other provinces to assist the fire victims.

The Iraqi Minister of Defense, Thabet al-Abbasi, directed the mobilization and sending of medical staff to Hamdaniya in Nineveh Province, and al-Abbasi ordered the transfer of the Nineveh fire victims to Baghdad via a military plane.

Meanwhile, the "Al-Arabiya" network reported that an air bridge from Baghdad to Nineveh was established to transport the fire victims to hospitals.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior stated that the fire was caused by fireworks inside a wedding hall, while the Civil Defense Directorate confirmed that the hall was clad in quickly flammable eco-bond panels, which violated safety instructions and were referred to the judiciary under Civil Defense Law No. 44 of 2013, contributing to the rapid ignition of the hall.

Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed the sincere condolences of the Arab Republic of Egypt and its solidarity with brotherly Iraq, government and people, following the horrific fire incident that broke out in Nineveh Province, resulting in hundreds of casualties and injuries.

The United Nations mission in Iraq issued a statement indicating that it feels shock and pain due to the heavy loss of life and injuries resulting from the fire that occurred in Nineveh Province.