Eight killed in head-on collision in western Anbar

ANBAR — Eight people were killed and three injured in a head-on collision Tuesday evening on the road linking Hit district and the town of al-Baghdadi in western Anbar governorate, according to local authorities.

The crash happened after a driver lost control of a vehicle, which veered into the opposite lane and struck an oncoming car.

Emergency responders and security forces took the three injured to Hit General Hospital, and the bodies of the eight killed were transferred to the forensic medicine department. Authorities did not immediately release the victims’ identities or give further details on the cause.

Traffic accidents remain a leading cause of accidental death in Iraq. The country recorded more than 500,000 traffic injuries and nearly 14,000 deaths between 2023 and 2025, Health Ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr said earlier this year, describing the toll as a heavy burden on the health sector.

Injuries reached 175,455 in 2023, including 5,400 deaths, rising to 192,000 in 2024 with 4,550 deaths, before falling to 154,355 in 2025 with 3,919 deaths. Young people are the most affected age group, he said.

Officials have repeatedly attributed fatal crashes to speeding, distracted driving, dangerous overtaking and failure to observe traffic laws.