WATCH: Heavy rain, flood closes over 142 village roads in Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Heavy rain and flooding on Friday ruined many roads and bridges in Erbil and Duhok, eventually bringing traffic to a halt.

The most affected town was Sidakan, northeastern Erbil, where roads to over 142 villages were either damaged or blocked due to the floods, according to Sidakan Mayor Ehsan Chalabi.

Mayor Chalabi told Kurdistan24 15 people were trapped in the mountainous areas of Khwakurk for over 17 hours due to the rain.

“We stayed in contact with them via cell phones, but the signal was lost after some time,” he said.

“We are sure they are fine,” the Mayor added. “We will reach out to them soon.”​

Chalabi also noted the flood had destroyed six bridges in the town which were used for transportation between the villages and to the center of the town.

The Spokesperson of Soran Police Hawar Argoshi told Kurdistan24 a 41-year-old man drowned in the river as the flood caused by the heavy rain carried him away.

The flood also damaged factories and resort areas in the city of Zakho in the Duhok province.

Additionally, the disaster caused multiple car accidents on the Bardarash–Duhok road where several people were found dead.

A Kurdistan24 correspondent reported the main road between Erbil and Duhok was also temporarily shut down on Friday evening.​

Editing by Gabrielle Renaud and Karzan Sulaivany