Traffic accident on Kirkuk-Baghdad road near Zaytouna Restaurant leaves one dead

KIRKUK — A two-vehicle collision near Zaytouna Restaurant on the Kirkuk-Baghdad road in the Daquq district left one person dead and four others seriously injured, according to local authorities.

Farman Nash’at, director of Daquq Hospital, told 964media, “The five injured individuals were brought to our hospital’s emergency department. After receiving initial treatment, all of them were transferred to Azadi Hospital in Kirkuk due to the severity of their injuries. Among the injured were a woman and a child.”

Shortly after the accident, a source from Kirkuk Traffic confirmed to 964media that one of the drivers succumbed to his injuries at the hospital due to the severity of his condition.

Eyewitness Abbas Abdulkhaliq described the scene, saying the accident involved a Kia Sportage and a Nissan Double-Cab pickup. “The Sportage, traveling from Baghdad toward Kirkuk, lost control near Zaytouna Restaurant on the Khurmatu-Daquq border, veering into the opposite lane and colliding with the Nissan Double-Cab, which was returning to Kirkuk. The occupants of the Nissan were from the Haftagharan area in Daquq district.”

Over the past 72 hours, traffic accidents on the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway have claimed eight lives and left 22 others injured, according to Muayad Abbas, director of traffic police in Tuz Khurmatu. Speaking to 964media on Sunday, he revealed that the fatalities included women and children, with four of the injured in critical condition. He cited excessive speed, driver errors, and cell phone use as primary causes of the incidents and noted a 15% increase in traffic accidents on the highway in February compared to the same period last year.