Iraqi Christians mourn next to a coffin for a victim of wedding hall fire, during a mass funeral in Hamdaniya town, northern Iraq. EPA
Iraqi Christians mourn over a coffin for a victim of wedding hall fire, during a mass funeral in Hamdaniya town, northern Iraq. EPA
Mourners carry a coffin. Reuters
Revan, the groom, cries next to his father's coffin. EPA
A victim lies in a hospital bed. Reuters
Hamid Boutros, 40, one of the survivors. Ismael Adnan for The National
Daniel Wissam, 13, was admitted to hospital with severe burns to his hands. He survived with his mother and little sister, who are also in hospital. Ismael Adnan for The National
Edmond Iyad, 12, also suffered burns in the fire. Ismael Adnan for The National
Ishaq Naseer, another young survivor, is recovering at hospital. Ismael Adnan for The National
A firefighter checks the damage in an event hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, after a fire broke out during a wedding. AFP
People mourn at the site of the deadly blaze. Reuters
A soldier stands guard at the site. Reuters
Governor Najim Al Jubouri and Minister of Interior Abdul Amir Al Shammari visit the site. Reuters
Officials walk through the rubble. Reuters
An Iraqi woman receives medical treatment at a local hospital in Hamdaniya, in Iraq's Nineveh province. EPA
A view of the site following the fire. Reuters
A girl suffering with burns lies in hospital. AP
The site of the fatal fire. AP
Damage at the site. Reuters
An Iraqi security crew inspects the scene at the wedding hall in Hamdaniya. EPA
Ambulances transport people injured in the fire to hospital. Reuters
One of those injured in the fire. Reuters
A man searching through debris after the fire. AFP
The aftermath of the fire. AFP
People gather at the site following the blaze. Reuters
An emergency worker searches for survivors. Reuters
Security forces and emergency responders gather around ambulances. Reuters
People gather at a hospital for news of loved ones. Reuters
Security forces keep watch next to an ambulance. Reuters
People gather at the site. AP
A civil defence team member walks through the site. AP
"They didn’t burn or turn into ashes — they couldn't breathe," said one mourner at a mass funeral to remember those killed in a devastating fire in Iraq that ripped through a large Christian wedding party in Iraq late on Tuesday.
Hundreds took to the streets of Iraq’s Nineveh province on Thursday to remember more than 100 people killed in the devastating blaze, which erupted at a wedding party in Al Haitham Hall in northern Iraq.
“They died of suffocation," Marious Addision told The National through tears.
“We don’t want anything from the government. We don’t know how or where to begin to get our justice.”
Authorities said the guests, who numbered over 1,000, sustained injuries caused either by flames, smoke or the crush as people tried to flee the reception hall beneath a partially collapsed ceiling.
During the past two days, people have searched for loved ones, while others rushed to donate blood in overwhelmed hospitals.
"I lost my nephew and sister-in-law today," Hana Abosh Khadir, a teacher in Qaraqosh told The National. "We are waiting to hear about the fate of three others. We have sent their DNA to Baghdad for tests, so now it's a matter of time before we know."
The fire ripped through a large event hall estimated to hold up to 1,200 people, in Qaraqosh town, after sparklers were lit during the celebration and set fire to the ceiling, authorities.
The Thursday morning burial is the second one held since the tragic incident took place.
A mourner carries a portrait of a victim during the funeral. Reuters
Nina Issam, 20, who attended the wedding, was at Thursday's funeral. Her aunt was among those buried.
"We speak and no one hears us, where is the government? If we had good governance this would have never happened," said Ms Issam, a residence of Qaraqosh.
"A dozen of us, including my little girl, managed to escape from the kitchen," she said adding that her aunt was found dead last night.
Citizens neglected
Salam Amer lost three members of his family, who were buried on Wednesday night.
"I buried them with my own two hands," he said.
He said his two-year-old son is still missing.
"I have been looking everywhere for him in all the hospitals. I just want to know if he's dead or alive," Mr Amer said.
He said authorities have neglected its citizens.
"There is negligence by the government, the hall was not fully equipped for fires or any disasters," he said. "They don't have any fire exits.
"I want to find my son — who can help me with this? The government? We only see them during elections. We have been burnt to the ground."
Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Mosul Mar Benedict Younan Hanno called for all Iraqis to unite.
"We as Christians, are always wanting the best for everyone, we saw a lot of unity coming out of this tragic event," Mar Hanno told The National.
Everyone must put "aside their religious and ethnics background", he said.
"This is what we saw from our pain, we have hope in our country."
"We need time to heal but we will persevere, we are all in this together and we will face the hardship together as one country."
He said the country must come together to reunite, rebuild and develop and Iraq "is suffering and it needs to heal".
LILO & STITCH
Starring:Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
