Body of Erbil flood victim recovered

Namiq was with his flock when the flood hit the small house he was sleeping in, his father told reporters previously.

Kurdistan 24 2022/01/07 12:41

Relatives, family members burying the body of Omed Namiq in Erbil, Jan. 6, 2022. (Photo: Rebaz Siyan/Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The missing body of a victim of the deadly December flash flood in Erbil was found on Thursday afternoon in one of the southern neighborhoods of the Kurdish capital.

Two workers looking for metal scraps in one of the areas near Zhyan neighborhood found the body in mud, one of them recounted.

The Erbil governorate later confirmed that the body was of the missing 20-year-old shepherd Omed Namiq.

Namiq was with his flock when the flood hit the small house he was sleeping in, his father told reporters previously.

Twelve people were killed in that natural disaster, including a toddler whose body has not yet been found but is presumed dead, the governorate added.

The December flash floods caused 20 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $13.6 million) damage to public and private properties.

Donations have been collected to compensate the affected areas. So far, over five billion dinars (approximately $3.4 million) have been collected from business people and private companies, according to official tallies from the capital authorities.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister visited the areas worst affected by the floods and said his government would review the neighborhoods' infrastructure to prevent similar tragedies in the future.