Car crash in Zakho results in 30 casualties

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – As a result of a car crash accident, at least one died and 29 others have been wounded in Kurdistan Region’s Zakho administration, a local health official confirmed to Kurdistan 24.

A Kia truck carrying farm workers from Sinjar crashed with another vehicle at Girsheen near the Zakho city tunnel early Thursday.

Women and minors are among the wounded, some of whom have sustained serious injuries, Ameer Ali, the spokesperson for Zakho Health Directorate, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

At least a man has died, the health official confirmed to Kurdistan 24.

Speeding is suspected to be the cause of the deadly accident, according to eyewitnesses.

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

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%.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani earlier this year asked the Ministry of Interior to tighten safety measures, including issuing driving licenses.

“It is very appalling and sad that a great number of our people die in traffic accidents every year in the Kurdistan Region,” the premier said at the time.

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.

Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 Duhok reporter Maher Sinjari