Iraq jails wedding hall owner 10 years for fire that killed 134

The owner of a reception hall in Iraq, where 134 people were killed in a fire at a wedding last year, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, a court document showed.

Authorities have blamed fireworks and combustible building materials for the blaze that broke out in the northern town of Qaraqosh in September 2023.

Some 900 guests were in the hall at the time, far in excess of its capacity of 400 guests.

When the fire broke out, the owner mistook it for a short circuit and cut the electricity, plunging the hall into darkness and causing “chaos, panic and a stampede”, authorities said.

The court sentenced the owner to 10 years in prison on Wednesday “for causing a fire in the al-Haitham hall”, according to the document seen by AFP.

A number of officials in northern Iraq have been sacked for “gross negligence” and “failure to perform their duties”, the government said.

Iraq sees frequent accidents as a result of poor compliance with safety standards, particularly in the construction and transport sectors.

Despite its huge oil wealth, Iraq’s infrastructure has suffered from decades of conflict, underinvestment and corruption.