{"id":10269,"date":"2023-10-03T04:41:07","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T04:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/iraq-wedding-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-10-03T04:41:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T04:41:07","slug":"iraq-wedding-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/iraq-wedding-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraq wedding fire caused by ‘gross negligence’ | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nBAGHDAD:
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A fire that swept through a crowded wedding hall in a northern Iraqi town killing more than 100 people was blamed on “gross negligence” and lack of safety measures, the results of a government investigation into the disaster said.<\/p>\n

The investigation results, announced at a news conference on Sunday by interior minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari, said the owner of the hall and three other staff members had allowed 900 people into the venue when it was designed for a maximum of 400.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fire was accidental and unintentional and occurred due to gross negligence,\u201d the investigation findings said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing flammable decoration helped the fire to spread quickly and transformed the hall to a fireball,\u201d Shammari said.<\/p>\n

The blaze trapped people inside the wedding hall and rescue teams struggled to reach them because exit doors were few and small, Shammari said.<\/p>\n

Read also:\u00a0More than 100 dead, 150 injured in Iraq wedding inferno<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

At least 150 people were injured in the fire, which was in the Christian town of Hamdaniya – also known as Qaraqosh.<\/p>\n

The interior minister put the death toll at 107 and said the investigation panel had proposed that the government should provide financial support to families of the dead and injured.<\/p>\n

The investigation also made recommendations that legal action should be taken against local officials.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani visited victims of the blaze at two local hospitals on Thursday and pledged to hold those responsible to account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n