Severe winds cause death and infrastructure damage across multiple Iraqi governorates

NEWSROOM — Strong winds and storms sweeping across several Iraqi governorates on Friday have caused damage across swaths of the country, including a fatal incident in Wasit, widespread power outages in Diyala, and infrastructure destruction in Salah Al-Din.

In Wasit 15-year-old Sajad Mahdi Al-Quraghuli tragically lost his life in Al-Dabuni district when a decades-old tree was uprooted by strong surface winds and crashed into a small outdoor kiosk where he was working.

Despite the swift efforts of locals to rescue him from the collapsed structure and transport him to the hospital, the severe head injuries he sustained proved fatal. Witnesses reported that the tree, planted in the 1960s, collapsed under the force of the winds, causing sections of the kiosk to cave in.

In Diyala, storms caused the collapse of approximately 20 streetlight poles near Al-Quds intersection in Baqubah. No injuries were reported as the road was not busy at the time. Maintenance teams have already started removing the fallen poles and shifting them to the central meridian. A source from the Diyala Electricity Distribution Department stated that the fallen poles were part of an ongoing streetlight installation project, which remains under the contractor’s responsibility. Additionally, the storm caused power outages in several areas of the governorate, affecting thousands of residents.

Meanwhile, in Salah Al-Din’s Al-Dhuluiya district, strong winds uprooted trees and toppled multiple electricity poles and wires, resulting in a complete power outage in the area. Shayban Adnan, Director of the Al-Dhuluiya Electricity Sector, declared a state of emergency as repair teams were deployed to address the extensive damage. He confirmed that the Wadi power station had gone offline, and efforts are underway to restore power.