'Inside, We're Dead': Grieving Iraqi Newlyweds Leave Hometown After Wedding Blaze Kills 100 Guests

Iraqi newlyweds Revan and Haneen left their hometown of Qaraqosh after more than 100 people died in a fire at their wedding on 26 September 2023.

The couple had gathered with family and friends at a large venue near the city of Mosul. Both lost their mothers in the blaze, which also killed Haneen's brother and other relatives who had attended the celebration.

Speaking after the disaster, Revan told Sky News, 'We are sitting here in front of you alive. But inside, we're dead. We are numb.'

His wife sat silently beside him as he described surviving the fire and the deaths of their relatives and friends. The interview also addressed how he had pulled her towards an exit and why he believed they could no longer remain in their community.

Why Iraqi Newlyweds Left Qaraqosh

Haneen was 18 when the fire killed 10 members of her family, including her mother and brother. Revan, then 27, lost 15 relatives, including his mother.

The deaths left both sides of the family bereaved as the couple began married life. Their intention to move away emerged as Revan discussed how they hoped to find some happiness after the disaster.

Fighting back tears, he explained that remaining in the hometown where their wedding had taken place no longer felt possible.

'We can't live here anymore. Every time we try to have some happiness, something tragic happens to us, so it's best for us to leave.'

Iraqi Newlyweds' Escape Through a Kitchen Entrance

More than 500 guests were at the celebration when the fire broke out. Footage that circulated online at the time captured the couple and their guests attempting to escape. People screamed and ran through the venue as burning pieces of the ceiling fell towards them.

Amid the fleeing guests, Haneen struggled to run in her wedding dress. Revan described trying to bring her out through a kitchen entrance while guests rushed to escape, recounting how she was trampled during the evacuation.

'I kept dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, they were trampling on her.

'Her legs are injured. Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones, are all gone.'

Inquiry Into Iraqi Newlyweds' Wedding Identified Fireworks

Authorities later concluded that indoor fireworks ignited ceiling decorations consisting of cheap, flammable material. Their explanation linked the height of the sparks to the decorations above the guests.

General Saad Faleh, the head of the Iraqi investigative committee, explained that four pyrotechnic devices sent sparks 4m (13ft) into the air. That distance 'allowed them to reach the hall's ceiling, ultimately leading to the fire.'

Revan's view differed from the investigators' findings. He remained adamant that the fireworks had not caused the blaze, believing instead that shortcuts at the venue could have been responsible for the disaster.

His suggestion concerned what he believed might have happened at the venue. The official findings identified sparks from the indoor fireworks reaching combustible decorations on the ceiling as the cause.

The venue's owner and 13 other people were arrested in connection with the fire.