Child among 4 dead in Sulaimani traffic accident

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Four people, including a child, were killed on Thursday night when a car collided with a tanker truck in southern Sulaimani province.

“Tonight at 10:45 pm, a collision occurred between two vehicles (a cargo truck of the tanker type and a Toyota Crown car) near Chinara village on the Darbandikhan-Zarayan road,” Sulaimani traffic police said in a statement.

The accident killed four people, “a man, two women, and a child,” said Sulaiman Mohammed, the mayor of Darbandikhan district.

The victims’ bodies were taken to Shahid Raouf Beg Hospital in Sharazur district, according to local authorities and Darbandikhan district police have launched an investigation into the accident.

Car accidents are a common occurrence in the Kurdistan Region where years of war, neglect, and corruption have affected its infrastructure. Roads are often riddled with potholes and lack proper illumination, making it difficult to see when driving at night.

The government has made progress addressing the issue, especially by reducing speeding. In May, the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry reported a 78 percent drop in traffic fatalities over the past two years, with deaths decreasing from 445 in 2022 to 98 in 2024. The ministry attributed the decline to road improvements and the installation of new traffic cameras.

In 2024, a total of 779 traffic accidents were recorded across the Region, resulting in 98 deaths and 1,437 injuries. While data for 2023 was not available, 2022 saw 3,706 accidents that left 445 people dead and 7,250 injured.