Erbil father loses four sons in six months in separate tragedies

ERBIL — A man from the village of Qocha Bilbasa, near Qushtapa in Erbil province, has suffered an unimaginable tragedy, losing four of his five sons in separate incidents over the past six months. The father, known locally as Mam Rajab, now has only one son remaining.

The first incident occurred on May 23, 2024, when a fire broke out at the Nawroz Gas Plant on the Erbil-Kirkuk road. Two of Mam Rajab’s sons sustained severe burns in the blaze. They succumbed to their injuries on May 28 and May 29, respectively.

Three months later, on August 28, another of his sons drowned in the Great Zab River. His body was recovered the following day.

The most recent tragedy struck when Mam Rajab’s youngest son, who had been critically injured in a traffic accident two days earlier, passed away on Sunday. This marks the loss of four sons in less than half a year.

A relative of the family, Nizar Muhammad, expressed the family’s heartbreak to 964media. “Today, Mam Rajab’s youngest son, who was injured in the accident, passed away. This makes him the fourth son the family has lost in separate incidents in under six months,” he said.