Crash on Kalar-Khanaqin Road claims lives of three

KALAR — A traffic incident on the Kalar-Khanaqin road near the village of Gakol claimed the lives of three people on Sunday.

The collision, involving a Chevrolet Optra and a Nissan Sentra, resulted in the immediate death of a woman. Two other individuals, who sustained critical injuries, died at the hospital later in the day. Another remains injured.

According to a statement from the Germiyan Traffic Directorate, the deceased include two passengers from the Sentra, born in 1951 and 1979, as well as the driver of the Optra, born in 2002.

Local authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Traffic incident statistics for the first six months of this year in Sulaymaniyah reveal 111 fatalities recorded during this period, according to a source from the city’s Traffic Police Department.

Karwan Mohammed, an official at the Sulaymaniyah Traffic Directorate, told 964media that projections suggest the number of traffic-related deaths this year may surpass previous years. He attributed this trend to the lack of a comprehensive plan to address traffic issues.

Karwan also highlighted that in 2023, Sulaymaniyah’s Traffic Directorate recorded 1,047 traffic incidents, resulting in 153 fatalities and 1,887 injuries.

Traffic incidents remain a persistent issue across Iraq. The country’s Ministry of Planning reported 3,019 fatalities from road incidents in 2023, excluding the Kurdistan Region, with 79% attributed to driver error. Additionally, 12,314 injuries were recorded last year, a slight decline from the 12,677 reported in 2022. Other factors contributing to these accidents include mechanical failures, poor road conditions, and unsafe pedestrian behavior.

This article has been updated with confirmation of the two further fatalities