Pile-up on Sulaymaniyah–Chamchamal road injures three

CHAMCHAMAL — Three people were injured Sunday morning when a truck lost control and caused a multi-vehicle collision on the Sulaymaniyah–Chamchamal road, a traffic official told 964media.

Sherzad Mohammed, a media official from Chamchamal Traffic Police, said the accident “occurred this morning when a truck driver lost control, leading to a collision involving seven vehicles.”

“Three individuals were injured in the incident, but their injuries were minor,” he said.

Photos and video from the scene showed a passenger car first struck by the truck, which then hit a bus. The car was pushed under the bus, and another vehicle fell from a bridge. Several other vehicles were damaged.

Traffic accidents remain a serious concern in the governorate. In the first half of 2024, officials recorded 111 fatalities. The Sulaymaniyah Traffic Directorate reported 1,047 traffic incidents in 2023, resulting in 153 deaths and 1,887 injuries.

To curb accidents, point-to-point speed cameras were introduced in the Kurdistan Region on May 29, 2023, starting along the Sulaymaniyah–Dukan road.

Speed limits for point-to-point cameras are generally 100 kilometers per hour for light vehicles and 80 for heavy trucks.

In May 2024, one year after the system’s introduction, officials reported traffic incidents had fallen by more than 50% in some areas. Nationwide, Iraq’s Ministry of Planning said traffic deaths declined 10% in 2024 compared with 2023, recording 2,719 deaths in 2,103 fatal crashes outside the Kurdistan Region. Men accounted for 82% of those killed.

Authorities continue to cite speeding, poor infrastructure, distracted driving, and weak enforcement as key causes of deadly accidents.