Zurbatiyah border crossing employee dies in Wasit car crash

WASIT — A Zurbatiyah border crossing employee was killed and three others were injured in a car crash Wednesday morning on the Badra Road in Wasit governorate. The accident occurred as the group was traveling to work, with dense fog and low visibility cited as contributing factors.

Zurbatiyah is a border checkpoint in eastern Iraq on the border with Iran.

According to a source from the Wasit Passport Directorate, the four employees were traveling in a Kia Sportage when their vehicle’s rear-right side collided with a truck.

“The collision claimed the life of Saif Ali Al-Tamimi, an employee at the Zurbatiyah passport office, while his three colleagues sustained injuries,” the source told 964media.

The injured employees are receiving treatment at Al-Zahraa Hospital in Kut, while preparations are underway for Al-Tamimi’s funeral.

Traffic incidents remain a significant concern in Iraq. On Tuesday, a fatal collision on the Kirkuk-Baghdad road near Al-Azim in Diyala governorate left two people dead and two others injured.

According to Iraq’s Ministry of Health, 564 injuries were reported nationwide during New Year’s celebrations on January 1, with 203 of those resulting from traffic accidents.