A devastating incident took place at a wedding in Iraq that left the bride and groom shattered and forced them to start anew. More than 100 people lost their lives when a fire broke out at the wedding venue in Qaracosh, near Mosul. Haneen and Ravan were slow-dancing, engulfed in happiness, when their joyous celebration turned into a nightmare.
In an interview with news agency AFP, Haneen described the horror they experienced, saying, “We couldn’t see anything. We were suffocating, we didn’t know how to get out.” The cause of the fire was initially rumored to be indoor fireworks, but there is also speculation that it started in the ceiling of the building.
During a conversation with Sky News, Ravan shared his account of the tragic events. He mentioned, “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.” The intensity of the blaze was uncontrollable.
The fire claimed the lives of numerous friends and family members, including Haneen’s mother and brother. The grief was so overwhelming that Haneen, still in shock, was unable to speak during the interview with Sky News. Ravan expressed how their happiness was shattered, forcing them to make the heart-wrenching decision to leave their home. He said, “That’s it, we can’t live here anymore. I mean, every time we try to have some happiness, something tragic happens to us and destroys the happiness, so it’s best for us to leave. [Haneen] has lost 10 relatives from her family, her loved ones, her mom, her brother. She can’t speak.”
Ravan recalled how their wedding day started with excitement, but was soon marred by a power cut right before their first dance. As the lights flickered back on, he noticed flames engulfing the ceiling. He had to rescue his bride, pulling her to safety as she struggled to escape due to 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. Her legs are injured. Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones are all gone,” he shared with a heavy heart.
Instead of being the happiest day of their lives, it turned into a nightmare that left them feeling hollow and numb. “Inside we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside,” Ravan mourned. The pain and sorrow they carry will forever remain with them.
