Four Hajj pilgrims from Kurdistan Region die in car crash

RAMADI — A car crash has claimed the lives of four Iraqi pilgrims and left another critically injured on Saturday. The incident occurred as the victims were returning from Saudi Arabia to the Kurdistan Region via Ramadi, officials confirmed.

The accident involved a private vehicle on the Ramadi Road, transporting a group of pilgrims from Sulaymaniyah who had participated in this year’s Hajj. According to a health official in Ramadi, the crash resulted in fatalities including two women and two men. “Four of the injured have died,” the official told 964media.

The sole survivor of the crash is reportedly receiving intensive care for severe head injuries.

The broader context of this tragedy includes the deaths of 25 Kurdish pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during the pilgrimage period, with 24 of these travelers holding annual tourist visas.

Karwan Stuni, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Hajj and Umrah Directorate, confirmed that the total number of this year’s Hajj pilgrims was 4,685. “Of these, 1,640 traveled by land from May 27 to June 5, 2024,” Stuni stated.