Sarhad Fatih, a member of the Prde riverine police’s swimming team, told Rudaw's Hardi Mohammedthat 20-year-old man Yusuf Yilmaz was swimming in the river with a group of his friends on Sunday afternoon.
Fatih said they were contacted at around 3PM and were able to retrieve the body within an hour.
“The accident occurred due to their lack of experience,” noted Fatih, saying the recent episodes of rainfall had created mud and increased the depth of the water.
Torrential downpour accompanied by strong windstorms and floods have caused significant material damage in several provinces of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region over the past month. More rain is forecast over the coming week.
People flock to rivers as the weather gets hotter in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and electricity supply is scarce. Numerous drowning incidents are reported in the Region every year, especially in July when temperature reaches 50 Celsius.
Basil Aziz, a 19-year-old displaced Yazidi in Shekhan's Mam Rashan camp, drowned while swimming in a nearby river on Saturday. His body is expected to be returned to Shingal for burial.
At least 104 people drowned in the Kurdistan Region in 2022, according to the Region’s general police directorate.
