ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A 12-year-old student was pronounced dead in a village school in Sulaimani province on Sunday. An official investigation into the cause of death is underway. The head of Sulaimani health directorate's emergency unit, Saman Nadir, initially told Rudaw that 6th grader Lawand Karwan died and at least seven of his classmates were hospitalized following a suspected gas leak from an oil heater in a school in Chaqalawa village. Sources from the province’s police directorate denied there had been a gas leak and told Rudaw's Nizar Jaza that a preliminary assessment indicated that the child had experienced heart problems leading to his death. Education directorate officials are waiting to hear the results from forensic examination. "He was sitting in his chair when he suddenly fell. His friends alerted the teachers and he was taken to the principal's office. There, his throat gurgled twice before he began frothing from the mouth and lost his life," said Trifa Abdullah, head of eastern Sulaimani's education directorate, citing the school principal. Abdullah added that they are not aware of any other students being hospitalized due to breathing difficulties. Lawand's father, Karwan Ali, speaking to reporters beside the grave of his young son, said that his son had had no history of heart problems and the family is waiting for the results of the forensic exam.
