ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 24 people have drowned across the Kurdistan Region in the first half of 2025, marking a decline compared to the same period last year, according to civil defense data.
Erbil civil defense spokesperson Shakhawan Saeed told Rudaw on Thursday that ten people have drowned in Erbil province since the beginning of 2025, with civil defense teams having rescued 20 others from drowning.
“Compared to last year, drowning incidents have decreased. Last year at this time, there were about 18 people,” Saeed said. “People’s awareness has increased, we have hung more guidance signs, and our teams are continuously present at dams and rivers monitoring citizens.”
In 2024, a total of 34 people drowned in Erbil province.
In Duhok province, five people have drowned and three were rescued in the last six months, said Bewar Abdulaziz, spokesperson for Duhok’s civil defense. He noted that the number is nearly the same as last year, when six drowning deaths were recorded during the same timeframe.
Halabja has reported no drowning deaths so far in 2025, compared to one last year, according to Halabja Civil Defense Spokesperson Zaniyar Omar.
An informed source told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that the overall number of drownings across the Region stands at 24 this year: Ten in Erbil, five in Duhok, and nine in Sulaimani province and the Raparin and Garmiyan administrations.
The Kurdistan Region’s lakes and rivers draw crowds during the hot summers, yet they tragically claim lives every year due to drownings. Erbil’s Civil Defence Directorate has attributed the fatal accidents to poor swimming skills, unfamiliarity with the terrain, dangerously cold water temperatures and a lack of proper gear like life jackets and inflatables.
Avesta Yousef, 27, fell into the Mergasor River in Soran district, around 132 kilometers north of Erbil, while on a picnic with her family on April 5. She had reportedly jumped into the water to save her brother who had fallen in. He survived, but Avesta was swept away by the current. The family continue looking for her as civil defense teams wrapped up their three-month search on Saturday.
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