A fire at a wedding hall in northern Iraq kills at least 100 people and injures 150, authorities say

At least 100 killed, 150 injured in fire at Christian wedding hall in Mosul, Iraq. PM orders investigation into blaze, which may have been caused by fireworks or illegal cladding. Fire is latest disaster to strike Iraq’s shrinking Christian minority, who have been targeted by extremists.

A fire that raced through a hall hosting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, authorities said Wednesday, warning the death toll could rise higher.

The fire happened in Iraq's Nineveh province in its Hamdaniya area, authorities said. That's a predominantly Christian area just outside of the city of Mosul, some 335 kilometres (205 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad.

Television footage showed flames rushing over the wedding hall as the fire took hold. In the blaze's aftermath, only charred metal and debris could be seen as people walked through the scene of the fire, the only light coming from television cameras and the lights of onlookers' mobile phones.

Survivors arrived at local hospitals, receiving oxygen and bandaged, as their families milled through hallways and outside as workers organised more oxygen cylinders.

Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr gave the casualty figure via the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

“All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” Mr. al-Badr said.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire and asked the country's Interior and Health officials to provide relief, his office said in a statement online.