Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced a three-day mourning in the Region “as a solidarity to the souls of the victims of the Hamdaniya incident,” said the KRG spokesperson. 

Peshmawa Hawramani said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the KRG has announced a three-day mourning over the Hamdaniya wedding hall fire which killed over 100 people. 

He added that the government will also provide further medical assistance to victims. 

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Kurdish security forces said they have arrested the owner of the Hamdaniya wedding hall that burned down and killed over 100 people, and handed him over to the Iraqi authorities. 

Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said in a statement that Samir Sulaiman, the owner of the the banquet hall in Hamdaniya district, was arrested in Erbil following an arrest warrant for the man by the federal government over an deadly fire incident in the hall that killed over 100 people and injured hundreds others. 

“He was handed over to the federal Iraqi government’s interior ministry,” read the statement. 
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The deadly blaze that swept through a wedding hall and killed over 100 people in Christian-majority Hamdaniya (also known as Qaraqosh or Bakhdida) in Nineveh province is a “complete and total catastrophe,” Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako said on Wednesday evening. 

Speaking at the funeral processions for the victims in Hamdaniya graveyard, Sako described the fire as “catastrophe that was very, very painful,” Sako said that it is “the first time since the invasion of Baghdad that more than 120 Christians lose their lives in a single instant.”

A deadly fire caused by fireworks that set the plastic ceiling of an event hall ablaze in Hamdaniya led to the deaths of over 100 people during a packed wedding and injured at least 150 others. 
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Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani visited an emergency hospital in Erbil accommodating victims of the Hamdaniya wedding fire that killed over 100 people. The Kurdistan Region has assisted victims by providing urgent medical assistance. 

 "I want to express our condolences to the relatives of these people. It was a big human disaster. I want to thank the Kurdistan Regional Government health ministry ... that sent an ambulance from the first hour of the disaster," he told reporters after visiting the victims. 

"I want to thank the medical teams. The treatment they are providing for the victims is a source of pride," he added.  

"I spoke with the Iraqi prime minister. They are very concerned about the incident... A serious investigation has to be conducted about this," noted President Barzani. 

"It is truly a very big disaster."

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Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, sending condolences to families of those who were affected by the Hamdaniya tragedy, according to a statement by Sudani’s office. 

“President Putin conveyed his heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Iraq in the wake of this tragic incident. He also expressed Russia's solidarity with Iraq and extended condolences to the affected families,” read the statement. 

The massive fire has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 people and wounded around 200 others. 

 

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Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Wednesday issued a set of directives for “urgent measures” to be taken in reaction to the Hamdaniya tragedy, including establishing an investigative committee to probe the incident.

Sudani directed the formation of “an investigative committee that will immediately begin investigating and uncovering the circumstances of the incident, to determine the causes and uncover areas of negligence,” according to a statement from his office.

The Iraqi premier directed health authorities to undertake the treatment of the wounded whether “inside or outside of Iraq,” and ordered the ministers of interior and health to visit the scene of the incident and oversee the rescue efforts.

Sudani also called on relevant authorities to prepare a comprehensive list of the victims and their families so they can receive financial compensation, and  directed the authorities to continue inspecting buildings in order to ensure they meet safety guidelines.

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A Nineveh military commander on Wednesday told Rudaw that they were in contact with authorities in the Kurdistan Region to arrest the owner of the Hamdaniya wedding hall “who has fled,” adding that nine members of the venue’s administration have already been arrested.

“We coordinating with the Kurdistan Regional Government. I had a phone call with the esteemed Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Mr. Reber [Ahmed] regarding the individual who has fled, who is the owner of the hall and is residing in Erbil,” Abdullah Ramadhan, commander of Nineveh operations, told Rudaw.

Ramadhan added that investigations into the incident are ongoing, stressing that the “negligent ones” will be brought to justice.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani announced a three-day mourning period across the country for the victims of the tragic Hamdaniya fire incident.
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Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Wednesday extended his condolences to the families of the victims of the “painful tragedy,” emphasizing the need to launch a probe into the incident.

“We stress the need to open an investigation, find out the circumstances of the incident, and take all safety measures to prevent its recurrence,” said Rashid.
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Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani extended his condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic Hamdaniya fire incident, reiterating that Erbil stands ready to provide help in any way possible.

“Following the tragedy, I directed the health ministry and all relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government to rush to the aid of those affected as soon as possible and now we reiterate our preparedness to provide all necessary help,” the statement read.

 

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The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) put out a statement on Wednesday morning, extending condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

“Shocked and pained by the horrible loss of life and injuries in the fire in Ninewa’s Hamdaniya.  An immense tragedy,” read the statement.

The massive fire has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 people and wounded around 200 others.
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Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani early Wednesday extended his condolences to the families of the victims of the Hamdaniya wedding hall fire incident, wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims who were killed and injured in a tragic incident in Hamdaniya district last night,” read a statement from the Kurdish president.

“In this difficult and painful time, our thoughts are with them and we are ready to help them,” he added.
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The majority of those who were wounded in the tragic fire incident at a wedding party in Hamdaniya, Nineveh province, are in critical condition, with the safest injury having 40 percent of their body burned.

"The safest injury registered with us had 40 percent of their body burned and we took them to the Hamdaniya hospital. No one has so far been discharged," Ahmed Dubardani, deputy head of the Nineveh health directorate, told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadhan early Wednesday.

"The majority of them [the wounded] were completely burned. And some others had 50 to 60 percent of their bodies burned. This is not good at all. The majority of them were not in good condition,” he added.

Around 16 of the injured have reportedly been rushed to hospitals of Erbil.
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A massive fire erupted in a wedding hall in Nineveh province's Hamdaniya district on late Tuesday, killing more than 100 of the ceremony’s attendees and wounding over 150 others according to early numbers.

Ahmed Dubardani, deputy head of the Nineveh health directorate, told Rudaw that at least 113 people have lost their lives in the blaze, adding that around 60 of those wounded were in critical condition.

The fire is believed to have been caused by fireworks, said Saad Hammad, spokesperson for the Nineveh civil defense.

A number of the wounded have been transferred to the hospitals of Erbil, according to Kurdistan Region Health Minister Saman Barzinji.

Hamdaniya district, located nearly 40 kilometers southeast of Mosul, has a Christian majority population. 
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