Residents and security personnel gather near al-Katiba Bridge in Diyala after the drowning of two teenage cousins in a nearby waterway.
Two teenage cousins drown in Diyala waterway
DIYALA — Two teenagers drowned on Monday while swimming in a waterway flowing from the Hamrin Dam toward the Sadd al-Sudour in the al-Katiba area of al-Mansouriya district, east of Diyala governorate, a local source said.
The source told 964media the incident occurred in the afternoon when the boys, born in 2010 and 2008, were swimming before being swept away by strong currents caused by water released from the dam, leaving them unable to escape.
The victims were cousins from the village of Sirajik in al-Mansouriya district. Rescue teams recovered their bodies near the al-Katiba Bridge after hours of searching.
The bodies were transferred to the forensic medicine department in Baqubah for official procedures, and security authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.