Five-year-old girl drowns in Khabur River near Zakho in fourth case this year

ZAKHO — A five-year-old girl drowned in the Khabur River near the Govg area of Batifa, Zakho Civil Defense reported Friday, marking the fourth drowning incident in the river so far this year.

According to a statement, the child had been visiting the area with her family when she went missing Friday evening. Authorities were alerted and suspected she may have drowned.

Rescue teams from Zakho and Batifa launched a search operation, and by Saturday morning, her body was recovered from the Khabur River. It was transferred to the Zakho Forensic Medicine Department for examination.

“The body is of a five-year-old girl. She was visiting the area with her family, and after she went missing Friday evening, we recovered her body from the river this morning,” Jamal Hasan, head of Zakho Civil Defense, told 964media.

Hasan noted that this is the fourth drowning reported in the Khabur River within Zakho’s jurisdiction since the start of the year.