Iraq: “We are dead inside” – shocking for the “bloody” newlyweds with 113 deaths

A bride and groom whose wedding ended in tragedy in Iraq when a fire broke out killing 113 people have been left devastated.

A fire broke out in the wedding hall, and the pictures are shocking.

“We feel dead inside,” they say as they talk to me. Sky News27-year-old Revan and 18-year-old Haneen, the “bloody” wedding couple.

Revan says he lost 15 members of his family in the fire, and that his wife is “speechless” due to the pain and devastation caused by the loss of 10 of her relatives, including her mother, brother and father, who are in critical condition.

At least 150 people were injured.

#broke down
About 50 people were killed and about 140 others were injured in a massive fire that broke out in a wedding hall in Al-Hamdaniya, Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq, according to initial reports. #Iraq #Hamdaniyah pic.twitter.com/jPGLvQNb33

– Sardar Sattar (@SardarSattar) September 26, 2023

“We can’t stay in our house”

The two feel they no longer fit in their hometown. “We can’t live here anymore. Every time we try to be happy, something tragic happens and destroys our effort. It’s better for you to leave,” Revan says.

“Even though we sit here alive in front of you, inside we are dead. We are numb and dead.” This is shocking.

How the fire started – “The roof melted in seconds”

Although initial reports stated that the fire started due to fireworks that went off during the couple’s first dance, Revan believes that the fire started in the ceiling.

“Maybe there was an electrical short circuit, I don’t know. But the fire started from the ceiling. We felt the heat. I heard a creak and looked at the ceiling.”

“And then, because everything was made of nylon, it started to melt,” he recalls. “It only took a few seconds.”

In a video from their wedding night, the couple can be seen dancing as burning pieces fell from the ceiling. Suddenly the electricity went out and when it returned to the ceiling, the fire caught fire.

Can you imagine being at this wedding?

A new video clip has spread showing the moment a fire broke out at an Iraqi wedding last Thursday in the northern Nineveh Governorate.

Unfortunately, more than a hundred people lost their lives, and many were injured after… pic.twitter.com/rThQrTHJAm

– Ed Krassen (@EdKrassen) September 28, 2023

Then people started screaming and running.

“I grabbed my wife and started dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen. She was trampled by the people who were running away, and her legs were hurt,” says Revan.

He says there was only one fire extinguisher and it didn’t work.

“Every day we bury one of our own.”

“Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones. They all died. Two days ago we buried Haneen’s uncle and his two daughters. Yesterday we buried her other uncle. Today we buried his daughter and her mother and her father is fighting for his life. My aunt died. My sister suffered burns and her husband has burns all over his body. A lot of People…” Revan panted.

More than 100 dead and more than 150 injured were recorded as a preliminary toll as a result of a wedding hall fire accident in Al-Hamdaniya. #Qaraqosh #Nineveh #Mosul pic.twitter.com/NnccyD0jW2n

– Sangar Khaleel (@SangarKhaleel) September 26, 2023

‘And all this on our wedding night? Why is it so hot? What did we do?’