Two Chinese, one Iraqi killed after falling in sewer system in Wasit

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Two Chinese nationals and an Iraqi were killed on Sunday in an accident while they were working on the sanitation of a sewage system in Iraq’s Wasit province.

According to the Directorate of Civil Defense in Wasit, the accident occurred while employees working for a Chinese sanitation company were cleaning a drainage structure in the city of Essaouira, southeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

A statement from the directorate confirmed that six employees, including two Chinese nationals, fell into the sewer hole which it noted was 30 to 40 meters deep.

“Our rescue teams rushed to the site of the incident to rescue the six workers,” the statement said.

The defense directorate stated that one Iraqi citizen, as well as the two Chinese nationals, were pronounced dead on the scene.

“The other rescued employees have been transferred to a hospital to treat their injuries.”

There was no comment from the Chinese Embassy in Iraq at the time of publishing this report.  

China is one of Iraq’s largest trade partners, from which it imports many products including electronics and construction material.

Diplomatic relations between Iraq and China were established on Aug. 25, 1958. The relationship went relatively smoothly for decades but was complicated by the Gulf War in 1991 and then again during events leading up to the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Relations stabilized in the years that followed and have continued to grow.