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At least 100 killed in blaze at wedding party in Nineveh, Iraq
At least 100 people have died and 150 others injured after a fire broke out at a wedding in northern Iraq, state media has reported.
The bride and the groom are reported to be among the victims, according to local media. The fire happened in the district of Al-Hamdaniya in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province late on Tuesday evening. It is not yet clear what caused the blaze, but early reports say it broke out after fireworks were lit.
A photo posted by Iraqi news agency Nina showed dozens of firefighters battling the fire, and pictures from local journalists on social media show the charred-out remains of the event hall. Flammable panels in the building may have helped the flames spread, causing parts of the ceiling to fall down.
“The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when fire breaks out,” Iraq’s civil defence directorate said, quoted by a separate news agency Nina.
Firefighters could be seen climbing over the wreckage of the building in search of survivors in the early hours of Wednesday morning, in video filmed at the site by a correspondent for news agency Reuters.
Eyewitnesses said hundreds of people were there celebrating when the building caught fire at around 10:45 local time (19:45 GMT).
“We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn’t got stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken,” Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old who escaped the inferno, told Reuters.
Ambulances and medical crews were sent to the site by Iraqi authorities, according to official statements.
Iraq’s prime minister told officials to “mobilise all efforts to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate incident,” his office said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The injured have been transferred to hospitals across the Nineveh region, the region’s governor told INA. He suggested that the number of deaths and injuries was not fixed and may rise.
At the main hospital in Hamdaniya, a town east of the region’s capital Mosul, dozens of people arrived to donate blood to help the injured.
(BBC)
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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
The National Building Research Institute [NBRI] has issued Landslide Early Warnings to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura valid upto 0900 AM on 23rd May 2026.
Accordingly,
LEVEL I [RED] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Deraniyagala, Ruwanwella and Dehiowita in the Kegalle district and Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kuruwita and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL II [AMBER] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colombo district, Attanagalla in the Gampaha district, Horana, Bulathsinhala, Ingiriya and Palindanuwara in the Kalutara district, Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district and Pelmadulla, Kiriella, Elapatha, Kalawana and Nivithigala in the Rathnapura district.
LEVEL I [YELLOW] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Mirigama and Divulapitiya in the Gampaha district, Agalawatta and Mathugama in the Kalutara district, Bulathkohupitiya in the Kegalle district and Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district.
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Minor flood situation likely to occur within the next few hours in the low-lying floodplain areas of the Kalu River
Based on the heavy rainfall currently being received in the Kalu River Basin and the analysis of water level data recorded at hydrological gauging stations maintained by the Irrigation Department within the Kalu River Basin, it is hereby warned that a Minor Flood Situation is likely to occur within the next
few hours in the low-lying floodplain areas of the Kalu River.
The affected areas include the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ratnapura, Kuruwita, Ayagama, Elapatha, Kiriella in Ratnapura District.
The public residing in these areas, as well as motorists and passengers travelling through the affected regions, are strongly requested to act with utmost vigilance and to take all necessary
precautions. Disaster Management Authorities are requested to take necessary actions in this regard.
A considerable rainfall has occurred in the catchment areas of the Aththanagalu Oya Basin as atb5.00 AM today (22).
By analyzing the current rainfall situation and river water levels of Hydrological Stations on the Aththanagalu Oya, there is a possibility of a flood situation occuring in some low lying
areas of the Aththanagalu Oya and Uruwal Oya valleys situated in Diwulapitiya, Mirigama, Attanagalla, Mahara, Gampaha, Minuwangoda, Ja-ela, Katana and Wattala Div8sional Secretaries Divisions within next 48 hours.
Owing to this situation, there is a possibility of some of the roads running through these lowlying areas being inundated at some places.
The public residing in these areas, as well as motorists traveling through these regions, are requested to exercise extreme caution regarding this situation.
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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
Minor flood situation likely to occur within the next few hours in the low-lying floodplain areas of the Kalu River
Flood warning issued to low lying areas of the Aththanagalu Oya and Uruwal Oya valleys
Flood warning issued to low lying areas of the Kelani River valley
Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Gampaha, Kalutara and Ratnapura
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