Highlighting ongoing road safety concerns
Traffic accidents in Diwaniyah leave three dead
DIWANIYAH – In the early hours of Monday, three separate traffic accidents in the southern Diwaniyah governorate resulted in multiple casualties, injuries, and significant material damage.
The first accident occurred around 3 a.m. on the Sunniya-Diwaniyah road, where a Jeep collided with a Saipa vehicle, splitting it in half and killing three people, including a woman. Eyewitness Mohammed Al-Asadi told 964media that the narrowness of the road and the presence of processions commemorating Imam Hussein’s Arbaeen obstructed the drivers’ vision.
“The driver of the Saipa attempted to turn without noticing the fast-approaching Jeep, which struck the Saipa in the middle, splitting it in two and instantly killing two men and a woman,” Al-Asadi said. He added that the procession was empty at the time, preventing further casualties.
The second accident occurred on the highway between Diwaniyah and Muthanna, resulting in several injuries. Diwaniyah Police reported that officers from the External Roads Department, under the supervision of the department’s director, assisted the injured at the scene. An ambulance transported the injured to the hospital for treatment.
The third accident took place at the Al-Jumhiriyah Intersection in central Diwaniyah, causing material damage only. A witness reported that the driver of a Hyundai Elantra slowed down to stop when a Hyundai Sonata, apparently trying to beat the red light, rear-ended the Elantra.
Nationally, Iraq, excluding the Kurdistan Region, reported over 3,262 traffic fatalities in 2023, nearly identical to the previous year’s figure, according to the Ministry of Planning. Collisions, often due to driver error, accounted for 56.4 percent of these accidents, with other factors including vehicle issues, road conditions, and pedestrian and passenger behavior.
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