Floods in northern Iraq kill two people
Vehicles submerged by rainwater in Duhok. Photo: Rudaw News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Dohuk governorate in northern Iraq experienced flash floods caused by torrential rains, resulting in the deaths of at least two people.
The victims were carried away by floods while stuck in their vehicle, according to local media outlets.
The spokesperson for Duhok’s civil defense, Bewar Abdulaziz, said that the floodwaters carried away a vehicle with four passengers inside, explaining that two of them were saved while the other two were carried away by the current.
Videos taken in the governorate showed mudslides tearing down roads, resulting in destroyed homes and several cars submerged in water.
Due to the persistent heavy rain that has been falling on Iraqi Kurdistan since Tuesday morning, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) advised people on Wednesday to stay indoors.
Preliminary estimates indicate that rainfall may have damaged about 100 homes and drowned about 15 cars.
Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, was also submerged by heavy rains, and meteorologists warned that areas of the governorate would flood.
In recent years, flash floods during rainy seasons have frequently occurred in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
In late 2021 and early 2022, a wave of devastating floods swept Iraqi Kurdistan, with the capital Erbil taking the most damage from the intense rainstorms.
There were at least 826 households impacted by the flooding at that time.