One dead in Sulaymaniyah building collapse

SULAYMANIYAH — A building collapsed on a group of workers in Sulaymaniyah’s Raparin neighborhood on Wednesday, killing one and seriously injuring five others, according to emergency responders.

Saman Nader, head of the city’s emergency response team, told 964media the incident occurred near the Unit 70 base of the Peshmerga forces. “Five other workers were seriously injured and are currently receiving medical treatment,” he said.

The cause of the collapse has not been officially determined.

The incident comes amid growing concerns over construction site safety across the Kurdistan Region. On April 27, a Syrian Kurdish worker died after falling from the fourth floor of the Aram Housing Project site in Sulaymaniyah.

Data from the Kurdistan Construction Workers’ Organization shows that at least 17 construction-related deaths occurred in Sulaymaniyah between January and August 2024. An additional nine were recorded in Erbil and eight in the Garmian region during the same period.

The organization attributes the high number of fatalities to poor safety standards, inadequate training, and lack of protective equipment.