On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, a devastating fire consumed a wedding hall in Qaraqosh, northern Iraq, claiming the lives of at least 114 peoples and injuring another 200. The Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako expressed his deep sadness after the tragedy.
In a statement released this September 27, the Cardinal offered “his sincere condolences and solidarity” with the Syro-Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul, “especially the families of the deceased and the injured.”
“We collectively raise our prayers for the consolation of the souls of the deceased and the speedy recovery of the injured. Grant them, O Lord, perpetual rest and may eternal light shine upon them,” he maintained.
The fire occurred at Al Haitham Hall, an event hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Al Hamdaniya and located east of Mosul, during a wedding celebration that brought together approximately 600 attendees.
The Iraqi Civil Defense and witnesses reported that the fire had been caused by fireworks launched while the bride and groom were dancing. The guests panicked and rushed towards the exits. In the midst of the chaos, burning decorations and pieces of the ceiling rained down on them, ending their lives.
The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohamed Shia al Sudani, announced a three-day period of national mourning throughout the country.
After the catastrophe, Cardinal Sako traveled to Qaraqosh in order to pay his condolences, participate in the funeral of the victims and give the Syro-Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Bishop Benedict Qusay Mubarak Abdullah (Younan) Hano, a sum of money to help affected families.
During a brief speech, the Patriarch assured that it is “the government’s responsibility to establish regulations for investors in construction projects, since people’s lives are in their hands.”
“How can the government grant construction permits without investors complying with construction regulations and using prefabricated materials, without safety conditions or fire extinguishing systems in place?”
In Iraq, safety standards are widely ignored, both in the construction industry and in the transportation sector. After decades of conflict, the country’s deteriorating infrastructure is frequently the scene of fires and tragic domestic accidents.
In July 2021, a fire in the Covid-19 unit of a hospital in the south of the country claimed the lives of more than 60 people. A few months earlier, in April, the explosion of several oxygen tanks sparked a fire at a Baghdad hospital that resulted in the tragic loss of more than 80 lives.