Five injured in Garmian car crash

SULAYMANIYAH — A car overturned Saturday morning in Garmian, injuring the driver and four passengers, according to the Garmian Traffic Directorate.

The vehicle was heading toward Rizgari subdistrict when the crash occurred. The injured were individuals born in 1996, 2014, 2007, 2008, and 2009. They were transferred to Shaheed Hazhar Emergency Hospital in Kalar for treatment.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, and Garmian traffic police have opened an investigation.

On Friday night, a separate traffic incident on the Kirkuk–Sulaymaniyah road near Bani Maqan also left five people injured.

Traffic-related deaths remain a major concern in the governorate. In the first half of 2024, officials reported 111 fatalities. In 2023, the Sulaymaniyah Traffic Directorate recorded 1,047 incidents that resulted in 153 deaths and 1,887 injuries.

In June, Iraq’s Ministry of Planning said traffic deaths nationwide fell 10% in 2024 compared with the previous year. The annual report documented 11,763 incidents across governorates outside the Kurdistan Region, including 2,103 fatal crashes that killed 2,719 people, down from 3,019 in 2023. Men accounted for 82% of the fatalities, or 2,235 deaths.

Traffic accidents injured 11,896 people in 2024, a 3.4% decline from 2023. Officials continue to cite poor infrastructure, speeding, distracted driving, and weak enforcement as major causes.