Family Mourns Loss of 22 Relatives in Iraq Wedding Fire | VOA News

Members of the bereaved family who lost 22 relatives in a deadly blaze at a wedding in northern Iraq spoke of their devastation as they mourned the sudden loss of their loved ones.

"This is my sister. This is my father. This is my mother. This is another sister of mine," said Fuad Silewa, as he pointed to pictures of the victims that he held during a funeral service in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya.

Silewa said his loved ones who died suffocated during the blaze that broke out in the Haitham Royal Wedding Hall on Tuesday night.

"Imagine, when you go back home and you see your father is no longer there, your mother is no longer there, your sister is no longer there, your sister-in-law is no longer there," Bitres Silewa, a member of the same family said.

Authorities said around 100 people died in the incident, and the death toll was expected to rise further with at least 100 other people still injured, many of them critically burned. #Iraq #Fire #reels #videography #voanews