Khaberni - The drowning incident of two children has stirred the Iraqi city of Baghdad, following the spread of heartbreaking scenes showing a grief-stricken father crying bitterly within a water channel, refusing to leave until his children, who were swept away by the river, are found.
The incident occurred in the Al-Alami area of Salah al-Din province, where two brothers, aged four and five, drowned while playing near a water irrigation project in the area, late last night.
According to preliminary information, one of the children slipped and fell into the water, and as his brother tried to save him, he too lost his balance and fell into the watercourse, in the absence of any safety measures or supervision around the project.
Yaseen Mohammed, a member of the health committee in Salah al-Din province, said in media statements that the incident occurred during the evening hours, stressing that rescue teams, supported by several swimmers and local residents, began searching operations immediately upon receiving the report, in an attempt to find the bodies of the two children.
He added that the father, who was present at the moment of the incident, went into a severe state of shock and refused to leave the drowning site, insisting on searching for his children himself, in a harrowing scene that deeply affected the locals and those present at the site.
Search operations for the children are still ongoing, amid public calls to intensify rescue efforts and demands for securing irrigation projects and water sources, and implementing preventive measures to prevent such tragic incidents from recurring.
