THIS is the horrifying moment a huge fire rips through a wedding party, leaving 22 dead and several injured.

Shocking footage shows the first sparks emerging as guests danced before the roof was set on fire, sending partygoers fleeing.

At least 22 guests died after a wedding venue transformed into a fatal inferno

Shocking footage shows the first sparks emerging as guests danced before the roof was set on fire

Chilling photos show the wedding decorations singed and burnt

Metal frames of furniture are all that remain in the charred wreckage

Guests scrambled to escape the building in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo as the blaze spread through the venue on Friday night.

People reportedly became jammed in the narrow corridors, choking on the smoke as they tried to escape.

Firefighters raced to battle the blaze – but the fire raged on until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Several survivors trapped inside were rescued by emergency services while the bodies of the dead were carried outside and laid along the roadside.

Norbert Mushinga, mayor of the Lingwala district in Kinshasa, confirmed that the death toll currently stands at 22 – but warned that it could rise as more people are pulled out from the charred building.

Harrowing videos show the gutted insides of the wedding venue which was utterly destroyed and strewn with ash and smashed furniture.

Two large windows exploded in the heat as dramatic photos show that only the metal frames of chairs and tables remain.

Mayor Nzindula slammed the lack of safety measures, saying: “We have just inspected the venue here, and it is clear that the [safety] norms are not being respected.

The wedding hall was completely gutted by the flames – with two large windows blown out

A Congolese police officer examines the damage from the fire

“Even the emergency exit: as you can see, people had difficulty getting to safety; everyone was in a state of panic.

“This is regrettable, so we are going to take action, and the authorities will implement measures for other function venues within my jurisdiction and throughout the city and province of Kinshasa.”

Congo’s deputy prime minister Jacquemin Shabani also visited the scene of the deadly inferno on Saturday morning, hailing the fire as a “tragedy”.

A probe has been launched to investigate the cause of the fire with initial theories suggesting one of the wedding decorations may have malfunctioned.

Dense populations and rapid, poorly managed construction makes Kinshasa a hotspot for deadly blazes.

Incidents soar during the dry season and the capital has already suffered multiple serious fires this year, according to local media.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16955817/horror-wedding-fire-kills-guests-trapped-narrow-exit/