Families mourn death of loved ones in Hamdaniya

27-09-2023
Ranja Jamal
-
-
A+ A-
HAMDANIYA, Iraq - The families of those people who were burned to death during a tragic incident in Hamdaniya district mourn the deaths of their loved ones. Some families have lost most of their members. 

Maryos, 6, attended the wake of his parents and siblings without realizing what had happened to them. 

His father Ayman Ziyad, mother Rita Khizir, his brother Marsel and his sister Malak were among over 100 people who died when a wedding hall in the Christian-majority district of Hamdaniya caught fire on Tuesday. 

“His father asked him to leave [the hall] and said that he would bring his other brother. He entered [the hall] but did not return. The mother, sister and none were able to leave [the hall]. We went to see them but all were dead,” Stevan Abosh, brother of Ayman Ziyad, told Rudaw. 

Only a couple of blocks away from this wake there was another wake. Another family had a similar story. 

Only three members of a 12-member family survived the tragedy. They have to do DNA tests to identify the dead bodies of the dead members of the family. 
 
“They are missing. They are going to do DNA tests to identify the dead bodies. Is this possible? No. The main cause behind [the incident] is the owner of Haytham hall and our government,” Mado Nur, resident of Hamdaniya, said. 

The incident has drawn international attention. 

The injured do not feel the pain of their wounds as they are overwhelmed by the tragic loss of their beloved ones. 

The Iraqi and Kurdish governments have announced a three-day mourning over the incident. 
 



Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required
 

The Latest

Kirkuk’s Governor Rebwar Taha speaking at a press conference in Kirkuk on November 21, 2024. Photo: Rudaw

Kirkuk urges people to stay home as census enters second day

Kirkuk’s Governor Rebwar Taha on Thursday urged residents to stay home as Iraq enters the second day of its nationwide population census, emphasizing that the process is solely for development purposes.