Heavy rain collapses house, killing three in Kirkuk

Heavy flooding has also been reported in Sulaimani province, where nearly 140 mm of rain has already fallen in the past 24 hours, according to weather officials.
The collapsed mud house in Kirkuk, March 9, 2023. (Photo: Soran Kamaran/Kurdistan 24)
The collapsed mud house in Kirkuk, March 9, 2023. (Photo: Soran Kamaran/Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Heavy rainfall in a village in Kirkuk destroyed a house on Wednesday night, killing a mother and her two children, the Kirkuk police told Kurdistan 24.

The mother, 41, and her kids were living in a mud house when the heavy rainfall and flooding in Bajwan village destroyed their home. Other similar structured homes are also at risk of collapse, Amer Shwani, the spokesperson for Kirkuk police told Kurdistan 24.

Severe rainstorms have impacted the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk province since early Wednesday, forcing the closure of schools on Thursday. 

Heavy flooding has also been reported in Sulaimani province, where nearly 140 mm of rain has already fallen in the past 24 hours, according to weather officials.

Footages of vehicles and food-delivery motorcycles caught in the flood have been widely shared on social media platforms. Local municipality workers have been clearing the roads since last night. 

The Governor had issued flood warnings, urging citizens not to use major roads that are blocked by high-water.

No casualties have been recorded as a result of the extreme weather in the province.

While Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, has not had flooding this year, 12 people were killed in floods in the southern part of the province last year.