Three drown in separate incidents across Duhok, including two siblings and a 14-year-old girl

DUHOK — Three people, including two siblings and a 14-year-old girl, drowned in two separate incidents in Duhok governorate on Sunday, according to local civil defense authorities.

In the first case, a 14-year-old girl, identified as Noura Adham, fell into a water well while her family was working on farmland in the Gre Gawre area of the Semel district. Duhok Civil Defense spokesperson Bewar Abdulaziz told 964media that rescue teams from Semel recovered her body and transferred it to the Duhok forensic medical department. The girl’s family is originally from Nineveh governorate.

Later in the day, a brother and sister aged 11 and 23 drowned in Duhok Dam while visiting the area as tourists. Abdulaziz said the siblings disappeared around 3 p.m., and their bodies were recovered by residents with assistance from civil defense teams.

The incidents add to a rising toll of drownings across the Kurdistan Region. As of August 2024, nearly 60 people—mostly children—have died in rivers and lakes, according to civil defense figures. In 2023, more than 100 drowning deaths were recorded, prompting authorities to expand rescue patrols, which saved nearly 70 people.