Tourist drowns in Khazir River near Duhok’s Bardarash district

DUHOK — A 23-year-old tourist drowned Sunday in the Khazir River near the Mendan Bridge in Duhok’s Bardarash district, according to local authorities.

Ibrahim Fariq, head of civil defense in Akre district, told 964media that the incident occurred within the boundaries of Bardarash. Civil defense teams recovered the victim’s body and transported it to Bardarash Emergency Hospital before transferring it to the forensic medicine department in Akre.

Similar incidents have been reported across the region in recent months. Earlier this month, a tourist was presumed to have drowned in the Tenkator River in Mergasor district, part of the Soran Administration, according to Soran Civil Defense. That incident marked the first reported drowning in the area this year.

In mid-March, a seven-year-old child drowned at the Khabat water project, Erbil’s Civil Defense Directorate reported.

As of August 2024, civil defense data showed that nearly 60 people — most of them children — had drowned in rivers and lakes across the Kurdistan Region.

In 2023, more than 100 drownings were recorded region-wide. In response, civil defense authorities intensified rescue operations and reported saving nearly 70 individuals.