Brake failure sends cement truck plowing into 30 vehicles in Kirkuk, killing six

KIRKUK — Six people were killed and 25 others injured Sunday when a cement truck with failed brakes plowed into more than 30 vehicles at the entrance to Kirkuk on the main Sulaymaniyah road.

The son of the truck owner, who said he was seated next to his father at the time, said the brake oil ran out as the vehicle was traveling at 100 km/h after entering the city from the Sulaymaniyah side. “A group of people prevented us from taking the ring road, so we had to enter the city,” he said.

Governor Mohammed Samaan declared a day of mourning across the governorate and said official offices would not receive guests or delegations for two days. He directed traffic police to prevent trucks from entering the city center between 8am and midnight and said he was prepared to transfer the injured to hospitals in Turkey if necessary.

Kirkuk health authorities thanked residents for responding to an urgent call to donate blood, saying the main blood bank had reached sufficient levels.

Emergency response units, civil defense teams, ambulances and traffic patrols were dispatched to the scene. Police said the incident involved the overturning of a cement tanker in the Azadi area, causing damage to vehicles and injuring the driver and others.