Three dead, four injured, others reportedly missing in Sulaimani flash floods

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two people were killed and four others injured in flash floods that swept through the Kurdistan Region's eastern Sulaimani province on Tuesday, officials told Rudaw, amid reports that two children are also missing. A third person also died in northern Kirkuk province due to the floods.

Sarkawt Karash, spokesperson for the Region’s Civil Defense Directorate, said that the victims who lost their lives in Sulaimani were both residents of Chamchamal district, located in the western part of the province. He identified them as 72-year-old Omar Saeed Amin and 22-year-old Basharat Sharif.

In the northern Kirkuk province, a young girl named Bayar Eisa also drowned.

Unconfirmed reports of additional residents missing or injured have also emerged. Residents in Chamchamal told Rudaw’s reporter on the ground, Hiwa Hussamadin, that 11-year-old Karzan Abdulla and 9-year-old Chra Mohammed have gone missing amid the floods. Search operations are under way to locate them.

Rudaw footage showed severe flooding in Chamchamal and the northern town of Piramagrun in Sulaimani. The province’s traffic directorate also closed the western Sulaimani-Tasluja road and several other routes temporarily due to the stormwater runoff.

“All relevant offices are on duty, and the Chamchamal administration is taking all necessary measures,” Karash said.

The Kurdistan Region’s Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani expressed condolences to the victims’ families, wished a speedy recovery to the injured, and confirmed that authorities are coordinating with Chamchamal Mayor Ramk Ramazan to ensure residents’ safety and protect property.

Of note, Talabani is also a senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), for which Sulaimani is considered a bedrock.

Meanwhile, in northern Kirkuk province, authorities told Rudaw that municipal staff are clearing rainwater channels and drainage systems to prevent blockages in streets, alleys, and residential areas.

Karash told Rudaw that the floods caused significant damage to homes and vehicles along the Kirkuk-Sulaimani border, while Erbil and the northern Duhok province were less affected, he said.

“Civil Defense teams remain on high alert [across the Kurdistan Region], ready to assist residents in need,” he affirmed.

For his part, Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw confirmed to Rudaw his teams’ readiness to deploy to Chamchamal to provide relief.

Flooding in previous years has caused deaths, widespread property damage, and stranded vehicles in the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Region Meteorology Directorate warned on Monday that heavy rainstorms would intensify across Sulaimani and Erbil on Tuesday, raising the risk of flash floods and rising water levels.

In addition to Erbil and Sulaimani, the province of Halabja in the east, the administrations of Soran and Raparin in the northeast, and Garmiyan in the south of the Kurdistan Region have all been advised to prepare for severe rainfall, with conditions expected to ease by Wednesday.

Authorities across the Region have been on high alert since the weekend.

The Kurdistan Region and Iraq are experiencing their worst drought in nearly a century, with dam reserves below 30 percent. Reduced rainfall and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran have forced some residents, particularly in Sulaimani and Duhok, to leave water-scarce villages.

Emergency projects are underway in Erbil and Sulaimani to improve access to potable water.