15 wounded in multi-car crash in Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A multi-vehicle crash in Erbil on Wednesday afternoon wounded at least 15 people as a cement mixer truck’s brake failed, according to preliminary investigations.

The truck crashed into more than 10 cars on the Erbil-Koya main road, Kurdistan 24 reported on site. The driver has fled the scene after the crash.

At least 15 people were rushed to a nearby hospital. No death has been reported.

Kurdistan Region has witnessed a number of deadly traffic accidents since last year.

In late July, at least five people were wounded in another multi-car crash in Sulaimani province.

In a single-car accident in March this year, at least 5 people were killed in Erbil.  Eight members of a family died in a similar car accident in Duhok province last October.

Mobile phone usage and excessive speeding are two leading causes of fatal accidents, as well as not adhering to driving safety measures, such as wearing seatbelts. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of seatbelts reduces death rates by 45% and serious injury by 50%.

As part of efforts to strengthen road safety measures, Kurdistan Region traffic authorities have begun rolling out point-to-point speed cameras across the provinces’ main roads.