For many couples, their wedding day is a dream come true, but for Haneen and Revan, their special day turned into a nightmare they will never escape.
On their wedding night, surrounded by 900 guests, tragedy struck during the celebration at a banquet hall in Qaraqosh, a Christian town in northern Iraq’s Nineveh province. The fire ignited suddenly while the couple danced, turning what should have been a joyful moment into pure chaos and devastation.
Between 10:00 and 10:45 p.m., flames erupted and quickly spread across the ceiling. Revan recalled the horror: “We felt the heat… When I heard the crackling, I looked at the ceiling. Then the ceiling, which was all nylon, started to melt. It only took seconds.”
While initial reports speculated that fireworks might have caused the fire, Revan suspects it started in the ceiling, possibly due to an electrical issue. “It could be a short circuit, I don’t know. But the fire started in the ceiling.”
As the fire grew, panic ensued. Revan recounted the heart-stopping scene: “People began to scream and run. I grabbed my wife, and I began to drag her. I kept dragging her, trying to get her out through the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, they trampled on her. Her legs were injured.”
Despite the groom’s father warning about the risks of fireworks during the wedding planning, the venue reassured him that the electric fireworks posed no threat. Sadly, the fire spread uncontrollably, with only one faulty fire extinguisher on hand. Nirvan, a guest who survived, described the rapid devastation: “The fire consumed the ceiling almost completely in minutes.”
Though Revan and Haneen made it out through the kitchen, the fire claimed the lives of over 100 guests and left at least 150 others injured. Haneen lost ten relatives, including her mother and brother, while her father was critically hurt. The newlyweds and their families were left to grieve the unimaginable loss.
An investigation later revealed that the banquet hall’s ceiling was made of highly flammable materials, violating safety regulations. The fire spread so quickly that parts of the building collapsed within moments. Authorities are pursuing legal action, with 14 people arrested, including four involved with the fireworks. The Iraqi government has vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
In the wake of this tragedy, the couple revealed their profound grief. “We can’t live here anymore,” Revan said, explaining that every attempt at happiness has been shattered by this catastrophe. “Every time we try to find joy, something tragic destroys it. It’s best for us to leave.”
The trauma of that night has left Haneen unable to speak since the incident, which occurred in 2023. Revan’s heartbreaking words echoed the depth of their loss: “It’s true we’re sitting here alive, but inside, we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside.”
What was meant to be the start of their new life together has left Haneen and Revan forever marked by the loss of their loved ones, unable to return to the place where it all began. Their pain is immeasurable, and their future will be forever shaped by the horrors of that night.
This is one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies imaginable. My heart breaks for the couple, and I can’t begin to fathom the suffering they are enduring. All we can do now is hope for their healing, even though the weight of their loss is unfathomable.
