Iraq: Dozens hospitalised after food poisoning at wedding party in Kirkuk province

Dozens of people have suffered food poisoning during a wedding party in northern Iraq on Wednesday.

Around 50 party guests came down with food poisoning in the town of Hawija, west of the city of Kirkuk, with at least 20 rushed to hospital for treatment.

It was unclear what the cause of the poisoning was.

The incident came after a massive fire killed over 100 people at another wedding in a northern Iraqi Christian town on Tuesday night. Among the dead were several children.

The fire was reportedly caused by fireworks which led to the collapse of the roof of the building.

Government officials said the inferno was enabled by a lack of safety and security measures and the use of highly flammable materials in the building.

Calls for accountability grew on Thursday for the victims of the deadly fire as grief-stricken mourners attended a packed memorial service and families buried their loved ones.

Fourteen people have been arrested so far, including the owners of the events hall.

Criticism of a lax approach to public safety is common in Iraq, a country where the state has been weakened by recurring conflict since the 2003 US invasion, and where services are impaired by pervasive corruption for which few senior officials are ever held to account.