Iraq | Deaths, including a baby, in devastating floods sweeping Erbil

Weather of Arabia - Heavy rain last night led to the formation of devastating torrents and floods that swept separate areas of the Kurdistan region and the city of Erbil, resulting in at least 8 victims, including a 10-month-old infant.

The governor of Erbil, Omid Khoshnaw, said in a statement that, in addition to the victims, "material damage was recorded in several towns and neighborhoods, as a result of the floods that swept Erbil, after heavy thunder rains fell on the province."

For his part, the civil defense spokesman in Erbil Sarkot Karach said, "The initial outcome is the death of 8 people, one of whom died when he was struck by lightning, and the others drowned in their homes."

And he spoke of "there are still missing persons, so the number of victims is likely to rise." He added that "there are citizens who were forced to leave their homes, and the material damage is very great."

The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, Masrour Barzani, said in a statement: "With great regret, a number of citizens died as a result of torrential rains and floods that were formed by heavy rains and hit a number of villages and regions in the city of Erbil and caused great material losses."

Barzani stressed that he directed the concerned authorities to take quick measures to help those affected by the floods and do what is necessary to secure their needs.