A couple have admitted that they feel ‘dead inside’ after a fire at their wedding resulted in the death of 100 guests.
A huge number of the bride and groom’s friends and family were killed after the blaze ripped through the venue in Iraq’s Nineveh province.
Haneen and Ravan were supposed to be enjoying their big day, but at the end of it they had lost so many people who were dear to them.
18-year-old Haneen lost her mother and brother amongst 10 family members, whilst her 27-year-old husband Revan lost 15 relatives in total during the inferno at a wedding hall in Qaracosh, near to the city of Mosul, on Tuesday.
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On a day that was supposed to be their happiest ever, and the start of their married life together, Revan said: "Inside we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside."
His wife said that she ‘can’t speak’ following the tragic incident that left her dad in intensive care in hospital, Revan added.
On the cause of the blaze, which had been rumoured to be started by indoor fireworks, Revan said that it could have started in the ceiling of the building.
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Talking to Sky News, he said: "It could be a short-circuit, I don't know.
“But the fire started in the ceiling.
“We felt the heat… When I heard the crackling I looked at the ceiling.
“Then the ceiling, which was all nylon, started to melt. It only took seconds."
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He recalled how there was a power cut just before their first dance, after which he noticed flames in the ceiling as the lights came back on.
The husband spoke of how he had to rescue his new wife, dragging her to safety when she couldn’t escape herself because of her long wedding dress.
"I kept dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, people were trampling on her,” he said.
“Her legs are injured.
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“Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones are all gone."
Aunts, uncles, mothers, siblings and cousins were killed in the horrific fire, and now the couple are waiting anxiously to find out whether Haneen’s father will pull through.
Speaking with local media, the pair said that they have had their happiness ‘destroyed’ and will now no longer be able to live in their hometown as a result of the trauma they have experienced.
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Jamil al-Jamil, a friend of the couple, said: "The crushing blow of losing so many family members far outweighs the 'minor burns' they suffered in the fire.
“The bride lost her whole family - three brothers, all of her uncles and her young cousins.
“The groom lost his mother."
Authorities have since said that flammable building materials contributed to the disaster.
The aftermath of the fire was chaotic, with conflicting death tolls issued by different authorities and staff detained at the wedding venue whilst security officials investigated.
So far, there is no official explanation for the fire, though one TV outlet has shown video of pyrotechnics shooting up from the floor and setting a chandelier on fire.
Topics: World News
Tom Wood