2 yıl önce

Deadly flash floods hit northern Iraq

Flash floods in northern Iraqi city of Erbil killed at least eleven people, including two foreigners, authorities said.

Reuters

In a country dealing with severe drought, many were caught by surprise as powerful storm waters started surging into their homes before dawn.

At least eleven people, including one Turkish person, have died in flash floods which swept through northern Iraq after torrential rains in Erbil.

The death toll rose "after the civil defence discovered the bodies of three people who were missing, carried away by the waters," a local administration official told AFP News Agency on Friday.

"Among them are a Filipino national and a Turk," said Nabaz Abdelhamid.

Provincial governor Omid Khoshnaw had earlier given a death toll of eight, including women and children.

He also reported "significant" damage, especially in a working-class district south-east of Erbil city.

Four members of the civil defence team who came to help residents were injured when their car was washed away, he added.

Khoshnaw called on residents to stay at home unless necessary, warning that further rain was expected with fears of more floods.

AFP

Iraq has been hit by a succession of extreme weather events, enduring blistering temperatures and repeated droughts as well as intense floods in recent years.

Extreme weather changes

Muddy waters swept the Daratu, Qushtapa, Shamamk, Zhyan, Roshinbiri and Bahrka districts on Friday morning, flooding streets and homes.

Buses, trucks and tanker trucks were washed away by the storm waters, with some flipped over or turned onto their side.

"Of the eight people who died, one died struck by lightning, while the others drowned in their homes," civil defence spokesperson Sarkawt Karach had said.

Many people have been forced to leave their houses, he added.

"Searches are ongoing for missing people," Karach said, warning that the death toll could rise.

The flooding comes as the region copes with a record dry year. Water levels this year at Darbandikhan dam were the lowest in its 65-year history.