Photo of Azad Maran Musa, a 50-year-old man, who has been missing for over a week in Erbil
25 teams deployed
Authorities in Soran intensify search for missing man after a weeklong effort
ERBIL – Authorities in Erbil’s Soran Independent Administration are intensifying their search for Azad Maran Musa, a 53-year-old man who has been missing for over a week. Officials announced that if Musa is not found within the next two days, search efforts will shift to nearby rivers.
Musa was last seen leaving his home in the Bastura sub-district of Pirmam district on January 22, 2025. Security reports indicate he took a taxi from Bastura to Soran but has not been seen since. Surveillance footage confirmed Musa entered a taxi in Bastura and arrived in Soran before disappearing.
A relative, Dilshad Haji Yousif, told 964media that Musa had a history of psychological challenges but had shown improvement recently.
“We have deployed 25 teams to continue the search,” said Karwan Mirawadeli, head of Soran’s Civil Defense Directorate, in a statement to 964media. “If we cannot locate him within two more days, we will assume the possibility of drowning and begin searching the rivers.”
Mirawadeli explained that bodies can surface downstream after seven to ten days if a person drowns in the region’s natural waters.
“At 11:39 a.m. on January 22, Musa was last captured by surveillance cameras,” Mirawadeli added. “Teams have reviewed all cameras and checked key locations such as roads, residential areas, and mosques, but there has been no trace of him.”
He noted that 80 percent of current efforts are focused on finding Musa, with 20 percent considering the possibility of his death. “If he is not found in two days, we will reverse this ratio and focus primarily on searching the rivers,” Mirawadeli said.
The family has appealed to the public for assistance, providing contact numbers for anyone with information about Musa’s whereabouts.