ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A massive blaze erupted at the Parvez Khan border crossing with Iran in Sulaimani province, killing at least one person and burning 14 tankers, prior to it being brought under control on Monday evening.
“This evening at the parking area for tankers that transport fuel at the Parvez Khan border crossing, several tankers burned after one of the tankers caught fire and exploded,” Ibrahim Mohammed, the spokesperson for the Garmiyan civil defense, told Rudaw.
Several firefighting teams were dispatched to the border crossing, and the blaze was brought under control, the Garmiyan independent administration said in a statement adding that 14 truck were burned in the incident.
A tanker driver was killed in the fire, and 17 others were injured, according to Rizgar Latif, the director of the Shahid Hazhar emergency hospital in Kalar.
Trucks, especially oil tankers, frequently queue at the international crossing for inspection; oftentimes, truckers will exchange their loads with a driver from the other country.
The Parvez Khan crossing is located in Sulaimani province in the Kurdistan Region. It is an important crossing for oil exportations into Iran, as well as an entry point for goods into the Region and Iraq.
Fires are a perennial concern in Iraq and the Region where safety standards are often lacking. They are especially frequent in the summertime with the scorching summer heat increasing the risk of fires.
According to official data from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in May, around 1,300 fires were reported since the start of the year, resulting in at least 60 deaths.
More than 20,000 fires were recorded in Iraq in 2023, a significant number, but still a decrease from 32,000 in 2022, according to data from Iraq’s civil defense authority.
Hunar Hamid contributed to this report
Updated at 10:28 pm
