22nd day
Search continues for missing teenager in Great Zab River
ERBIL – The search for a 14-year-old boy missing for 22 days continues in the Kalak sub-district of Erbil, as a new diving team joins the effort to locate him. The team is collaborating with civil defense forces and local divers.
The boy, whose identity has not been disclosed, fell into the Great Zab River on June 8 and has not been seen since.
Ali Muhammad, a member of the local rescue team, expressed challenges to 964media, stating, “The current and muddy state of the water are the main reasons we have not yet located the body, despite continuous searches over the past days.”
Amanj Mohammad, an officer and head of the diving teams in the Khabat district, earlier told 964media that the boy had gone swimming in the river.
The Civil Defense Directorate of the Kurdistan Region has reported a significant rise in drownings, with 26 deaths in the first five months of this year, following more than 100 drownings last year. In response, civil defense teams have intensified rescue operations, saving nearly 70 people.