ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Civil defense teams in the Kurdistan Region announced on Sunday that they will continue their daily search for 27-year-old Avesta Yousuf, a Kurdish woman who fell into a river north of Erbil over two months ago.
Avesta, a resident of Erbil, went missing on April 5 while on a family picnic in the Mergasor River, located in the Soran district, north of the Kurdish capital city. She reportedly jumped into the water to save her brother, who had fallen in. While her brother survived, Avesta was swept away by the current and has not been seen since.
Karwan Mirawdali, Director of the Soran Civil Defense, told Rudaw that search efforts began immediately after her disappearance. “After the first month, it was decided to scale back the search to two days a week. However, Avesta’s family never left the site, so we decided to continue with them,” he said.
“Even during the Eid holidays, the search has not stopped.”
Initially, 24 teams were deployed in the search. Currently, eight teams from Soran Civil Defense - around 60 personnel - continue the daily effort alongside Avesta’s family.
“In the past two weeks, the river’s water level has dropped significantly, which has made our work easier,” Mirawdali noted. “It is expected to decrease further in the coming days, increasing our chances of finding Avesta’s body.”
The search has now entered its third month. Despite the time that has passed, Mirawdali affirmed that the search efforts will continue. “On July 5, it will be three months since her disappearance. At that point, we will issue a final report and conclude the search,” he said.
The Kurdistan Region’s lakes and rivers attract many visitors during the summer, but tragically, drownings occur each year. According to a 2023 statement from Erbil’s Civil Defense Directorate, such incidents are often the result of poor swimming skills, unfamiliarity with the terrain, freezing water temperatures, and the absence of life-saving gear such as life-jackets or inflatables.
