Vehicle rollover on Tikrit-Samarra road claims woman’s life, injures seven family members

NEWSROOM — A vehicle overturned on the Tikrit-Samarra Road on Tuesday, resulting in the death of a woman and injuring seven family members, according to Iraqi traffic authorities.

Muaid Abbas, director of the Khurmatu Traffic Department, told 964media that the accident involved a Kia vehicle returning from Tikrit to Samarra. “The vehicle overturned due to high speed, claiming the life of a 40-year-old woman. Her husband, who was driving, along with six other family members, sustained injuries,” Abbas said.

Among the injured are three children, with two individuals reported to be in critical condition. All were taken to Tikrit Emergency Hospital. Abbas noted that some passengers in the rear of the vehicle were ejected during the rollover.

This incident is one of several recent fatal traffic accidents in Iraq. Earlier on Tuesday, another collision on the Kalar-Khanaqin road claimed the life of a 20-year-old laborer on his way to work. In a separate incident on Saturday, a collision on the Safwan–Al-Zubair road in Basra resulted in seven fatalities and injured eight others when a van carrying 14 passengers collided with a large truck.

Fatal traffic incidents remain a pressing issue in Iraq, with 3,019 traffic-related deaths reported in 2023. The Ministry of Planning attributes 79% of these fatalities to driver error. Additionally, 12,314 people were injured in traffic incidents in 2023, a slight decrease from the previous year. Most incidents involved vehicle collisions, with other contributing factors including vehicle malfunctions, poor road conditions, and pedestrian-related issues.