In Sulaymaniyah, Duhok

Separate traffic incidents kill three, injure five in Kurdistan Region

2024-08-01 | 18:38

NEWSROOM – A series of traffic incidents across Iraqi Kurdistan resulted in several casualties and injuries this week. On the Khanaqin-Kalar road, one driver was killed, while five individuals were injured in Chamchamal, and two drivers died in Alqosh, Duhok.

In Khanaqin, a driver succumbed to severe injuries after his vehicle, an Opel, collided with an electricity pole on Thursday. Shwan Shakir Dara, director of Khanaqin Hospital, told 964media that the victim, a resident of Malik Shaye neighborhood born in 1969, died shortly after arriving at the hospital despite receiving immediate medical attention.

Another incident occurred in the Takiya sub-district of Chamchamal, Sulaymaniyah governorate, where a Mitsubishi Lancer carrying five passengers rolled over. The vehicle was traveling from Sulaymaniyah to Kirkuk. Omar Ali, Director of Traffic in Chamchamal, reported to 964media that the driver, his wife, and their five-year-old child were among those severely injured and have been transferred to Sulaymaniyah for further medical treatment.

According to the Sulaymaniyah Traffic Directorate, traffic accidents were the leading cause of death in the governorate in 2023, resulting in 140 fatalities and constituting nearly 25% of the 592 total deaths investigated. More than 83% of the road accident victims were male.

Further north in the Alqosh sub-district, Duhok, two truck drivers lost their lives in a collision on the road between Baadre and Badrik. Matin Jameel, a spokesperson for the Duhok Health Directorate, confirmed that both drivers died at the scene and their bodies were transported to the Duhok Forensic Medicine Department for examination.

One of the trucks was carrying live poultry, many of which perished in the accident.

The Ministry of Planning reported over 3,262 traffic fatalities in Iraq, excluding the Kurdistan Region, in 2023, with collisions accounting for 56.4% of accidents. Driver error was identified as the primary cause in 79% of these incidents, with other factors including vehicle malfunctions, poor road conditions, and pedestrian and passenger behavior.