At least a hundred people have died and more than 150 have been injured as a result of the burning of a wedding hall during a celebration in the Nineveh region of Iraq. “The Nineveh Health Department recorded 100 deaths and more than 150 injuries as a preliminary figure as a result of the fire at the wedding hall in Al Hamdaniya,” said Health Ministry spokesman Saif al Badr, according to the news agency. Iraqi INA.

Shortly after, the Iraqi Red Crescent published on social networks that the death toll has increased to more than 450 people. Previously, the country’s prime minister, Mohamed Shia al Sudani, ordered the mobilization of all resources to help those affected.

The injured have been transferred to several hospitals in both Nineveh and Kurdistan, according to the governor of the Nineveh region, Najm al Jubouri. Furthermore, he has assured that “there is no definitive statistic for the number of deaths or injuries” and, after a phone call with Al Sudani, the authorities have stated that “all efforts are being made to help those affected by an unfortunate accident.