Torrential rains on Saturday have flooded the Salahuddin resort, located northeast of Erbil city in Iraq. The deluge submerged residential neighborhoods in the area. On Sunday, the bad news was reported about the victims, dozens of whom had drowned to death while others had gone missing.
According to government data, rescue teams have recovered 12 bodies while the search is still underway for a 10-month-old child, Danar Nabaz, and a herdsman.
Volunteers who participated in the searches believe that the floods have washed away the missing people to distant areas, possibly outside the city.
“The search operations have reached southern Erbil. We will not stop until we find those missing,” a civil defense officer told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Videos posted to social media show muddy waters flooding streets and homes in the city of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, and other towns in the province.
The footage showed dozens of cars swept away by the torrents, with officials announcing that government buildings and private properties were destroyed by the floods.
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw revealed the damages caused by the floods that swept 15 areas in the governorate.
At least 2,509 families, 402 homes, 867 vehicles (excluding government vehicles), 153 shops, car showrooms, stores, and markets were damaged, according to the governor.
It seems that the extent of the damage caused by the torrents is due to the tampering of water drainage channels.
According to experts in the region, rainwater has been draining for decades through natural streams formed by environmental factors.
Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Rewaz Faiq blamed the urban expansion witnessed in Erbil for the force of the torrents.
According to activists, several construction projects were built above the natural course of the water.
An activist told Asharq Al-Awsat that gas stations, shops, and residential complexes which cut off the natural course for draining water had forced the torrents to shift to populated areas.
