21-year-old drowns in Sirwan River as death toll rises for Eid holiday incidents

DARBANDIKHAN — A 21-year-old man drowned Sunday morning while swimming in the Sirwan River near the corniche area in Darbandikhan district, Sulaymaniyah, local civil defense officials said.

Kaiwan Ahmad, head of Darbandikhan’s civil defense, told 964media the man had come from Sharaban district for a visit and entered the river around 11:30 a.m.

“He had come from Sharaban district for a visit and was pulled from the river by a friend, but had already lost his life,” Ahmad said.

He added that swimming is prohibited in the area where the incident occurred. “There is a sign warning against swimming, but residents often ignore it,” he said.

The incident is part of a broader pattern of drownings during the Eid holiday. On Saturday, river police in Wasit recovered the body of a young man who drowned while swimming in the Al-Hay district. The search lasted more than eight hours.

On the first day of Eid al-Adha, a child was reported missing and presumed drowned in the Great Zab River in the Deraluk subdistrict of Amedi.