Contractor arrested in Duhok after four workers died

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A contractor has been arrested in connection with a deadly construction accident in Semel district of Duhok province, where an elevator collapse left four workers dead and another critically injured.

Following a complaint by the public prosecutor of Semel court, security forces detained the contractor of a housing project over what authorities described as negligence and violations of safety regulations.

Judge Hakim Abdulwahid, the public prosecutor at Semel court, told Rudaw on Sunday that "on the very day of the incident, we filed two legal complaints: one against the project contractor and the other against the project owner."

The incident occurred on Wednesday, when five workers fell from a lift platform. Four workers were killed and one was severely injured. The victims were aged between 17 and 26.

The prosecutor said the contractor was arrested for "negligence and non-compliance with safety regulations at the project," adding that investigations involving the project owner are still ongoing.

"Following the incident, we conducted a field visit to the project site. At the scene, it was evident that the machine (the external elevator) the workers were on was old and its quality was substandard before it fell," he explained, adding that authorities plan broader inspections of other construction sites to verify safety compliance and protect workers’ lives.

Workplace accidents remain a recurring issue in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, particularly in the construction sector, where labor unions and rights groups have repeatedly called for stricter enforcement of safety regulations and stronger oversight of worksites.

At least 18 construction workers have died in the Kurdistan Region in the first four months of 2026 due to unsafe working conditions, Abdulqadir Nawprdani, a member of the executive office of Kurdistan Workers’ Syndicate, told Rudaw in late April.