100 killed in fire during wedding in northern Iraq

People look at the aftermath of a fire that broke out during a wedding at an event hall in Al-Hamdaniyah, Iraq on September 27, 2023. At least 100 people were killed and more than 150 injured when a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in the northern Iraqi town of Hamdaniyah, state media and health officials said early on September 27. //AFP

At least 100 people were killed and more than 150 injured when a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in the northern Iraqi town of Hamdaniyah, officials said early Wednesday.

At the main hospital in Hamdaniyah — a predominantly Christian town east of Mosul that is also known as Qaraqosh — an AFP photographer saw ambulances arriving with sirens blaring and dozens of people gathering in the courtyard to donate blood.

Others could be seen gathering in front of the open doors of a refrigerated truck loaded with…