Tuz Khurmatu

One killed, three injured in drunk driving crash on Kirkuk-Baghdad highway

TUZ KHURMATU – One person was killed and three were critically injured late last night when a car collided with a three-wheeled motorcycle on the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway near the Suleiman Beg subdistrict in Tuz Khurmatu district, according to local traffic authorities.

Muayad Abbas, head of the Tuz Khurmatu traffic department, told 964media, “The incident occurred when a car, traveling from Kirkuk towards Baghdad collided with a three-wheeled motorcycle attempting to cross the main road towards Suleiman Beg. The car lost control and struck the motorcycle at high speed.”

The crash claimed the life of a 58-year-old woman from Suleiman Beg and left her husband and two children in critical condition. They were taken to Azadi Hospital in Kirkuk.

Authorities determined the car’s driver was under the influence of alcohol and found several bottles inside the vehicle. The driver sustained injuries and is being treated at a local hospital.

On Wednesday, a motorcyclist also lost his life in a crash in the center of Tuz Khurmatu district. The incident occurred when the motorcycle collided with a tanker that was distributing fuel to homes. Traveling at high was cited by the traffic authorities as the cause of the collision.

The annual rate of traffic incidents in Tuz Khurmatu district increased in 2024, with over 40 fatalities and more than 100 injuries reported, marking a 40% rise on 2023 , according to local traffic authorities.