Ongoing floods claim child’s life in Kurdistan

Shafaq News – Erbil / Baghdad

A child died after falling into a flood channel in Garmian administration, Kurdistan Region, as heavy rains continued across northern Iraq, a source said on Wednesday.

The source told Shafaq News that rescue teams are searching for the child’s body after he was swept away by rising waters while riding a bicycle in the Galar district.

The death brings the toll to at least five since severe rainfall began hitting the Region and nearby provinces earlier this week, including two reported in Chamchamal district of Al-Sulaymaniyah.

In response, the Al-Sulaymaniyah Health Directorate raised emergency response alerts. The Kurdish Education Ministry postponed first-semester exams in Chamchamal until January 2026, according to spokesman Saman Siwaily.

Outside the Kurdistan Region, a seven-year-old girl drowned in Kirkuk after being swept away by floodwaters, and two others died in Dhi Qar when their home collapsed during heavy rain.

Lt. Gen. Jaafar Al-Battat, head of the Iraqi government’s crisis cell, then established a control center in Kirkuk to serve as an operations hub for managing the flooding. Bridges linking Kirkuk and Saladin, which collapsed completely when the Tuz valley overflowed, are among the cell’s top priorities, he said, explaining that teams will oversee damage assessments, rehabilitation efforts, and the reopening of vital routes used for transport and trade.

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Emergency crews remain deployed across roads, bridges and valleys exposed to flooding, he added. “The cell will remain in Kirkuk until conditions stabilize and the danger has passed.”