Construction worker dies after falling from scaffold in Kalar

KALAR — A construction worker died Thursday after falling from scaffolding in the Sirwan neighborhood of Kalar district, Sulaymaniyah province, hospital officials told 964media.

Rafiq Qadir, director of Shahid Hazhar Emergency Hospital, confirmed the death, saying the worker was brought to the hospital around noon after falling from scaffolding while on duty.

“Due to the severity of his injuries, he passed away a few minutes after arriving,” Qadir said.

The victim was identified as a 50-year-old man originally from Mariwan in Iranian Kurdistan. His body has been transferred to Kalar’s forensic medicine department for further examination.

This fatality is the latest in a string of construction-related deaths across the Kurdistan Region. In January, a 27-year-old construction worker died after falling from the Mayorca City residential project in Sulaymaniyah. Last month, a separate accident in Duhok’s Semel district left one worker dead and another injured after a concrete structure collapsed at an unfinished building.

Between January and August 2024, the Kurdistan Construction Workers’ Organization documented at least 17 fatalities in Sulaymaniyah province, nine in Erbil, and eight in the Garmian region. The organization attributes these incidents to inadequate safety standards, lack of protective equipment, and insufficient training. Common causes of fatalities include falls, electrocution, structural collapses, machinery-related accidents, and severe bleeding.