Anas Qais Ani, spokesperson for Anbar’s health directorate, told Rudaw that Safa al-Rishawi, assistant to Anbar’s governor, and three other passengers were killed at approximately 10:30 pm after their Toyota Land Cruiser collided with a cement tanker on the Kirkuk-Salahaddin road.
Among the dead were two sons of a former Anbar provincial council member and their driver, according to Ani, who added that the vehicle was completely burned after the crash.
Car accidents are a common occurrence in Iraq where years of war, neglect, and corruption have significantly affected its infrastructure.
Roads are often full of potholes and lack proper illumination, making it harder to see when driving during the night. They also typically remain in substandard conditions and unrepaired for years.
Over 4,000 people were killed and thousands more injured in traffic accidents in Iraq in 2023, according to data from the health ministry.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2018, road traffic injuries were the leading killer of people aged five to 29 globally, and the estimated rate of traffic fatalities per 100,000 population in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region was 20.7 percent in 2016.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
