Iraq wedding fire caused by 'gross negligence', government investigation says

Volunteers search for the remains of missing bodies following a fatal fire at a wedding celebration, in the district of Hamdaniya, in Nineveh province, Iraq, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A fire that swept through a crowded wedding hall in a northern Iraqi town killing more than 100 people was blamed on "gross negligence" and lack of safety measures, the results of a government investigation into the disaster said.

The investigation results, announced at a news conference on Sunday by interior minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari, said the owner of the hall and three other staff members had allowed 900 people into the venue when it was designed for a maximum of 400.