Bardarash district mayor Brwa Faruq told Rudaw that the individuals drowned while swimming in the Khazir River, adding that “all four who drowned were of a young age.”
“Initially, one of the young people drowned, and the others tried to rescue him, but they all drowned one after another,” Faruq explained.
The Kurdistan Region’s lakes and rivers are popular tourist attractions, especially in the scorching summer months, but they tragically claim lives every year due to drownings.
Authorities attribute the drownings to multiple factors, such as a lack of swimming skills, unfamiliarity with the geography, freezing waters, and failure to use lifesaving equipment such as lifejackets and inflatables.
A tragic case that has made headlines in the Kurdistan Region is that of Avesta Yousif, 27, who fell into the Mergasor River in Soran district, around 132 kilometers north of Erbil, while picnicking with her family on April 5. She had reportedly jumped into the water to save her brother, who had fallen in. He survived, but Yousif was swept away by the current.
At least 24 people drowned across the Kurdistan Region in the first half of 2025, according to data from Erbil’s civil defense.
