Eleven people have died following flash floods on Friday in northern Iraq caused by torrential rains in Erbil, capital of the country’s autonomous Kurdish region.
Local administrative manager Nabaz Abdelhamid said Erbil residents caught by surprise as powerful storm waters began surging into their homes before dawn.
“The death toll stands at 11, after the discovery by the civil defense of three bodies of missing persons, including a Filipino national and a Turk, washed away,” said Abdelhamid.
“Of the original eight people reported dead, one died struck by lightning, while the others drowned in their homes, the dead included women and children and that four members of the civil defense team who came to help residents were injured when their car was washed away.
“Many people have been forced to leave their homes,” added Abdelhamid.
“Searches are ongoing for missing people which means that the death toll could still rise.
In a country dealing with severe drought, many were caught by surprise and drowned as powerful storm waters began surging into their homes before dawn.
