Another injured

Two workers killed in fall at Duhok apartment project

DUHOK — Two workers died, and another was injured when they fell from a building at Prime Village Duhok, a large apartment and housing project in central Duhok, on Tuesday evening, local authorities reported.

The accident occurred in the Shaxke neighborhood, where the three workers were performing tasks on a residential construction site.

Ferman Ali, head of the emergency department at Azadi Hospital, said two workers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies were transferred to the Duhok Forensic Medicine Department for examination before being handed over to their families.

“The third worker sustained serious injuries and is currently under medical supervision,” Wlat Osman, head of the Duhok Workers’ Syndicate, told 964media. He confirmed that all three workers were residents of Duhok, aged between 25 and 35.

Authorities have yet to disclose the cause of the incident.

The tragedy highlights ongoing concerns about worker safety in the Kurdistan Region, where many workplaces neglect the use of protective gear, despite regulations enforcing safety standards.

Between January and April 28, 2024, the Kurdistan Construction Workers’ Organization documented 19 worker fatalities in the region, with an additional death in Kirkuk. Nine deaths occurred in Erbil, eight in Sulaymaniyah, and two in Duhok.

The organization attributed these fatalities to inadequate safety measures, lack of protective equipment, and insufficient worker training. Common causes included electrocution, building collapses, falls, machinery accidents, and severe bleeding.

In 2023, the Kurdistan Workers’ Union recorded 53 worker deaths, including 39 local workers and 14 foreign nationals, marking an increase from 41 deaths in 2022.