Two workers drown while cooling off at Daquq water project

KIRKUK — Three workers entered the water at the Daquq water project to cool off, but two drowned, and both bodies have now been recovered, local officials said.

Farman Nashat, director of Daquq General Hospital, told 964media, “Several workers were working near the Daquq water project when three of them entered the water to cool off, but two of them apparently didn’t know how to swim and both drowned.”

He added, “After some time, local residents recovered one of the bodies, and the second was found late last night.”

The victims were laborers from Kirkuk who traveled to Daquq daily for work, according to officials.

The recovered bodies were transferred to forensic medicine. “We’re aware that several rescue teams were searching for the second body,” Nashat said.

The Daquq water project draws from the Sirwan River and channels water through an open canal to supply local households. Residents often swim in the canal, where dead animals have occasionally been seen. A treatment station provides filtered drinking water to the area.