Elder killed, 3 wounded in Diyala as festive wedding shots lose direction
Representational photo.
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) An elderly woman died late Sunday and three others, including a child, were wounded when celebratory gunshots went wrong during a wedding in Diyala.
One attendant of a wedding in Sawaed district fired salutation shots in the air, but lost control over his Klashinkov, causing the disaster.
A local source in Beldrouz region, where the incident took place, told Alsumaria News on Monday that the aging lady died at hospital, while two young men and a little girl were wounded. The shooter was arrested and referred to interrogators, according to the source.
Shooting in the air has for long been a celebratory ritual during weddings and even funerals in Iraq and other neighboring countries. The practice has ended dramatically in many incidents.
“Shooting during weddings has been common in Beldrouz, but no casualties were recorded before among civilians. This might be the first incident in years,” said the source.
Amer al-Kilani, a member of Diyala province council, told Alsumaria News that intensive shootings increased remarkably over the past years, urging a “community action” to end the phenomenon.
Jassem Karim, a civil society activist, told the network that the ritual is more common at rural areas. “Tribes should play a role to address that phenomenon,” he said., adding that the latest incident stirred a public outcry.