A view of a main street in Kirkuk under cloudy skies, as Iraq braces for continued rain, snow, and freezing temperatures this week. (Photo by 964media)
Kirkuk
Laborer dies from electric shock while working on house
KIRKUK — A laborer died Sunday evening after receiving an electric shock while working on a house in the Tapa neighborhood of Kirkuk, local sources said.
Jamal Ali Jaf, an eyewitness, told 964media, “The worker was engaged in construction work on a house on Tapa Street when he accidentally touched an electric wire with his wet hand, resulting in an electric shock that led to his death.”
He added, “The worker’s name was Aras Omar, estimated to be between 40 and 45 years old, and he was a father of two. His body was transported to the hospital.”
A source at the Kirkuk Teaching Hospital confirmed to 964media, “When the worker arrived at the hospital, he had already passed away. His body was then transferred to the forensic medicine department.”
On April 27, a worker died after falling from the fourth floor of a housing project site in Sulaymaniyah, the local labor union said. Chalak Raouf, head of the Sulaymaniyah branch of the Kurdistan Workers Syndicate, told 964media that the worker, identified as a Syrian Kurd, fell from the Aram Housing Project around 4 p.m. and died at the scene. Raouf said the incident was caused by a lack of safety measures at the site.
The fatality follows a series of workplace deaths recently reported across the Kurdistan Region. Three days earlier, a 53-year-old Turkish construction worker died after falling from the third floor of a building near the Corniche in Zakho. On April 9, two electricity workers were killed and another injured in separate electrocution incidents in Duhok and Erbil governorates.
According to the Kurdistan Construction Workers’ Organization, at least 17 construction-related deaths were recorded in Sulaymaniyah between January and August 2024, alongside nine in Erbil and eight in the Garmian region. The organization cited poor safety standards, lack of protective equipment, and inadequate training as major contributing factors. Falls, electrocution, structural collapses, machinery accidents, and severe bleeding were among the most common causes of death.