One dead, three injured in crash on Zakho-Duhok Road

DUHOK — A 28-year-old man was killed and three others were injured in a crash on Tuesday evening. The collision occurred around 5:00 p.m. on the Zakho-Duhok road near the Batel subdistrict, involving two vehicles.

According to Amir Ali, spokesperson for Zakho’s health department, all the injured were transported to Zakho Emergency Hospital. “One of the injured, a 28-year-old, succumbed to his severe injuries an hour after arriving at the hospital,” Ali told 964media.

The remaining three individuals are under medical supervision, with their conditions described as stable.

Traffic incidents continue to be a pressing issue in the Kurdistan Region. Statistics from Sulaymaniyah’s Traffic Police Department reveal that 111 fatalities were recorded in the first six months of this year in one governorate alone.

In 2023, the Sulaymaniyah Traffic Directorate documented 1,047 traffic incidents, resulting in 153 fatalities and 1,887 injuries.

Across Iraq, traffic incidents remain a nationwide concern. The Ministry of Planning reported 3,019 road-related fatalities in 2023, excluding the Kurdistan Region, with driver error accounting for 79% of cases. Additionally, 12,314 injuries were recorded in 2023, slightly lower than the 12,677 reported in 2022. Other contributing factors included mechanical failures, poor road conditions, and unsafe pedestrian practices.