Eid holiday traffic accidents mar celebrations across Iraq and Kurdistan Region

ERBIL — The first day of Eid Al-Fitr was marred by traffic collisions across the country as people marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday.

A crash on the Qandil Bridge between Khalifan and Harir in Erbil governorate resulted in seven  injuries, with four people in critical condition.

Mohammed Amokayi, a spokesperson for Harir Public Hospital, informed 964media that emergency teams were dispatched to the crash site and transported the injured to Harir Hospital.

“Four of the injured were critically hurt and transferred to West Erbil Hospital for further treatment,” Amokayi said.

Limited resources at smaller regional hospitals often require transfers of critical cases to larger facilities in major cities.

Separate traffic accidents in Kalar also left two people injured. A Nissan Altima struck a 12-year-old child who was taken to a local hospital with injuries. Elsewhere, the driver of a speeding Toyota was hospitalized after losing control of the vehicle and colliding with the median and nearby trees.

Further south in Anbar governorate, the Emergency Department at Fallujah Teaching Hospital reported a surge in cases on the first day of Eid, treating over 350 patients by Wednesday evening.

This included 17 patients injured in road accidents, with four suffering severe back and head injuries and four others presenting burn wounds.

The increase in traffic volume during Eid, as people visit family and friends, often leads to a rise in accidents.

A scene of a traffic accident in Fallujah