In the wake of Tuesday’s tragic fire incident at an Iraqi Christian wedding, mourners gathered at a cemetery in the northern city of Qaraqosh on Wednesday for a funeral.
Some of the faithful held up portraits of deceased loved ones.
The day before, those in the pictures had gathered in an elegant banqueting hall to attend a wedding.
But as the bride and groom danced, a fire erupted in the reception hall, killing at least 100 people and injuring 150 others.
By all accounts, the fire spread at a rapid rate.
Footage shared on social media showed indoor fireworks flaring so high that they set ceiling decorations alight.
On Wednesday, one by one, around 20 coffins covered in satin or bouquets of flowers were carried through the crowd on the shoulders of men.
They were followed by women in tears, all dressed in black and supported on either side as they were barely able to stand up on their own.
See photos from the ceremony below:
Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFPCardinal Louis Sako leads a mass during the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)A woman mourns over a coffin during the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Relatives mourn over a coffin during the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attended the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Mourners attend the funeral of victims who were killed when a fire ripped through a crowded wedding hall in the mainly Christian northern city of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)Cardinal Louis Sako, the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, visits an event hall where a fire broke out, resulting in the deaths of at least 100 people and injuries to more than 150, in the northern town of Qaraqosh on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)People walk past an event hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, where a fire broke out during a wedding, killing at least 100 people and injuring more than 150, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)A firefighter checks the damage in an event hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, after a fire broke out during a wedding, killing at least 100 people and injuring more than 150, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
