Second body recovered after drowning in Tigris River near Yathrib

Salah Al-Din — Search teams on Sunday recovered the body of a second young man who drowned in the Tigris River near Yathrib in Salah Al-Din governorate, two days after the pair entered the water to swim and were swept away by the current.

The incident occurred on Friday, May 30, when two youths from Yathrib drowned while swimming in a hazardous stretch of the river. The first body was found on Saturday, while the second was discovered on Sunday more than a kilometer downstream from where they were last seen.

“The spot where the youths swam was very dangerous, and due to the strong current, the bodies were separated from each other,” Mahi Khalifa, head of Yathrib district police, told 964media.

Khalifa said the district lacks a dedicated diving or rescue team, prompting officials to request assistance from the Salah Al-Din governorate. A specialized rescue unit equipped with diving tools was dispatched and successfully recovered both bodies.

With summer temperatures rising, many Iraqis turn to rivers and dams to escape the heat, but such outings often result in tragedy. Drowning incidents are common, particularly among young people with little swimming experience who underestimate the power of river currents and the dangers posed by deep or fast-moving water. Authorities have repeatedly warned against swimming in unsafe areas, but fatal accidents continue to be reported each year.