The happiest day of a couple’s lives is often their wedding. Their beautiful day, however, became an unthinkable nightmare that would always haunt Haneen and Revan.
At a banquet hall in Qaraqosh, a Christian town in the Nineveh province of northern Iraq, disaster struck during the celebration of their wedding night, which was attended by some 900 guests.
In front of friends and family, the couple was dancing when the fire started without warning. Chaos and heartache swiftly overtook what should have been a happy moment.
The fire started between 10:00 and 10:45 p.m. and quickly spread through the hall’s ceiling. We could feel the heat. Revan described the terrifying experience in an interview with Sky News, saying, “When I heard the crackling, I looked at the ceiling.” Then the all-nylon ceiling began to dissolve. It took just a few seconds.
According to reports at first, the fire might have started from fireworks, but Revan thinks it started in the ceiling, possibly as a result of an electrical short circuit. “I don’t know, it might be a short circuit. However, the fire began in the ceiling.
Panic swept in as the flames spread. People started screaming and fleeing, according to Revan’s description of the horrific scene. Grabbing my wife, I started dragging her. In an attempt to move her out of the kitchen entry, I continued to drag her. She was being tramped on by individuals who were running away. Her legs are hurt.
When preparing for the wedding, the groom’s father had cautioned about the dangers of pyrotechnics, voicing worries that sparks would fall on the couple or visitors. The owners of the facility assured him, nevertheless, that the fireworks were safe and electric.
When the fire started, things quickly got out of hand. There was only one available fire extinguisher, but it was ineffective. According to Nirvan, an attendee who was able to flee, “the fire was sudden and rapidly consumed the ceiling almost completely.” “During the subsequent stampede, my wife sustained injuries.”
Desperate to get out, Revan and Haneen were able to escape through a kitchen door. However, sadly, a large number of visitors perished. There were at least 150 injuries and more than 100 fatalities. In addition to her mother and brother, Haneen lost ten other family members in the fire. Her dad suffered serious injuries. Forever wounded by the destruction were the newlyweds and their families.
Later, it was disclosed by the Civil Defence Directorate that the banquet hall’s ceiling was composed of highly combustible composite panels, in violation of safety standards. Parts of the building collapsed in a matter of minutes due to the rapid spread of the fire.
🔴 اللحظات الاولى لاندلاع النيران في قاعة الأعراس في قضاء الحمدانية في نينوى.#العراق #الحمدانية pic.twitter.com/x2GbZ0sx2R
— العراق برس (@aliraqplus) September 27, 2023
The roof collapsed on the visitors, and an initial inquiry revealed that the fire was sparked by pyrotechnics.
Following the tragedy, four people involved in setting off the fireworks were among the 14 people arrested in relation to the incident. Since then, some have been freed, but the Iraqi government is committed to holding those who did it accountable. In addition to increasing safety checks at public locations, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani pledged to impose the strictest sanctions.
The devastated couple’s indescribable sadness was made public following this tragic event. They were unable to remain in their hometown after the disaster.
“That’s it,” Revan told Sky News, “we can’t live here any longer.” “Every time we attempt to be happy, a horrible event occurs and the bliss is destroyed. Therefore, it is best that we depart.
Since the incident in 2023, Haneen has been unable to talk due to the extreme trauma she has experienced.
Indeed, we are alive and seated in front of you. But we are dead inside. We have no feeling. “We are dead inside,” Revan said, his words weighed down by the sorrow of their loss.
The once-jolly event has now left Haneen and Revan not only grieving the loss of their loved ones but also unable to visit the location where their new life together was intended to begin. The sad events of that night will always be a part of the couple’s path forward, and their anguish is incalculable.
There are reasons why life can be so cruel. I have no idea how terrible the couple’s pain must have been. I’ve never heard of anything so sad as this.
This catastrophe demonstrates why it is absolutely unacceptable to light fireworks inside of a structure. It’s the most agonising thing I’ve ever seen.
My heart aches for her, and I wish I could do something to make her pain go away. We can only hope that, despite the unfathomable suffering she is going through, she finds the strength to recover.
