Nineveh provincial governor Najim al-Jubouri said some of the injured had been transferred to regional hospitals. He cautioned that there is no final tally of casualties from the fire yet, suggesting the death toll could still rise.
There was no immediate official statement on the cause of the fire, but initial reports from Kurdish television news channel Rudaw suggested the fire may have been caused by fireworks at the venue.
Civil defense officials were quoted by the Iraqi News Agency as saying that the exterior of the wedding hall was decorated with highly flammable covering, which was illegal in the country.
“The fire resulted in the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost construction materials, which collapse within minutes if a fire occurs,” Civil Defense said.