ABQAIQ — A special committee formed to investigate a fatal fire at an Abqaiq wedding has detained 10 people for questioning, Al-Sharq newspaper reported Friday quoting police sources. The fire claimed the lives of many people at the village of Ain Badr on Tuesday night. The committee will continue its work to identify those responsible and will also investigate departments that allegedly failed to deal with the incident adequately. The blaze was sparked by celebratory gunfire. A bullet struck electric decorations that triggered a short circuit, igniting a marquee housing women at the wedding. According to Civil Defense officers, a damaged cable fell on a metal door and victims were electrocuted to death as they tried to open it. All people killed in the tragedy were from the same tribe. Investigators were trying to determine who fired the gunshot that hit the cable. Muhammad Saeed Al-Hajri, the groom, said his wedding night was the worst day of his life because he lost more than 25 of his relatives, including his brothers and sisters. He said: “At the time of the tragedy I was in my room. “Suddenly the power went off and I heard people screaming and calling for help. “I rushed to the location and was shocked by what I saw.” Al-Hajri along with many others helped carry the bodies of the victims and survivors to hospital and he stayed by their sides to make sure they were fine. The newspaper visited a number of injured victims, including Sidra Al-Hajri, who was in ICU with 60 percent burns over her body. According to the nurses, she was given painkillers because of the severe pain. The mother of two survivors at the hospital recalled the painful moments leading up to her children's injuries. The woman, who was not identified, said her daughters suffered burns all over their bodies. She added: “A person fired a gunshot, hitting a power cable, which fell on the metal door. Anyone who touched the door was electrocuted. There was nowhere to escape.” Six men were killed in the accident along with 16 women and three children. The women were killed while trying to escape through the door while the men were electrocuted when they tried to save the women. The Civil Defense said they received a number of phone calls from citizens about the accident and reached the location in six minutes. Officers immediately cut the electrical cable on the ground and opened the door to save more than 200 women and children. The fire department did not use water to put out the fire until they made sure the electricity was cut.
