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'E bin be like say dem open doors of hell'

Foto from di accident

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 Source: BBC

More dan 100 pipo die and many more wunjure for one serious fire during one wedding celebration for Qaraqosh for north of Iraq.

Pipo wey witness di fire describe all di horror and panic wey occur as di fire dey burn give BBC.

Nineteen-year-old Ghaly Nassim bin dey just few metres from di al-Haitham banquet hall wen di fire break on Tuesday evening.

Im rush to help five of im friends wey dey trapped inside.

"One door block, so we open am by force. Heavy fire come out from di hall. E bin be like Hell door open," im tok.

"You no fit bear di temperature. I no fit describe di extreme heat."

Di fire wey happun as di bride and groom dey do dia first dance, kill about 115 pipo and more dan 150 odas wunjure.

Nassim describe di scenes as "real tragedy".

"I bin no fit do anytin but run away from di fire," im tok, as im voice like how over tire for phone.

"Afta firefighters come, I rush inside to look for my friends. I see 26 dead bodies for di bathroom. One 12-year-old girl burn completely."

Iraq Civil Defence tok tok pesin, Gawdat Abdul Rahman, tell BBC say na fire works wey dem bin dey burn for inside di hall na im cause di fire for di majority Christian town.

Di materials wey dem use inside di venue dey highly flammable and e ginger di fire to catch more more and fast.

Nassim believe say di fact say emergency doors no dey enough make tins worse, as most guests bin try comot from di hall main entrance, e possile say dis crush some pipo crush.

Destroyed 'in minutes'

Im say im firends dey safe.

One of dem, 17-year-old Tommy Uday, bin dey stand next to di door wen di fire start.

Dis allow am to run sharply.

"I see one big black cloud of smoke dey comot from di ceiling, so I quickly run out," im tok, come add say "di whole place destroy inisde five minutes".

Dem bury about 50 deadi bodi on Wednesday.

Dem dey expect to bury di remaining on Thursday.

But many pipo still dey search for dia family members.

Ghazwan bin dey separated from im 33-year-old wife, four-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter wen di fire explode.

Im oda daughter, wey dey 10 years old, come out of di hall but she dey "suffer burns for almost 98% of her body", Ghazwan sister Eisan tell BBC.

She say her broda dey waka round different hospital dey look for im family.

Hospitals dey struggle

Inside Mosul specialised medical centre for burns, Dr Waad Salem tell say BBC about 60% of di pipo wey wunjure dey suffer serious burns.

"Majority of di burn na for face, chest and hands," im tok, come add say na women and children e affect pass.

Chief Nurse Israa Mohammed treat pipo wey wunjre through di night.

She tell BBC say she attend to about 200 patients.

"Wetin I see dey very difficult," she tok.

"I don see pipo wey more dan 90% of dia body completely burn," she tok, come add say dem confam at least 50 children dead as soon as dem reach di hospital.

Madam Mohammed say her medical facility bin no get enough medical supplies and so dem struggle to cope wit di high number of victims wey bin dey come in.

For many like Nassim and im friends, e go dey very hard to shake di shock of wetin dia eyes see comot from dia body.

"I no fit describe wetin I feel," im tok. "I know families wey lost almost everyone. At least three families don lost every single member for di fire. Di whole community dey sad, not be only for Nineveh province, but all over Iraq. Di whole country dey sad."

Additional reporting by Dalia Haidar

Source: BBC