Khaberni - The Al-Mahzam area in Salahuddin witnessed a mass drowning incident that claimed the lives of 6 members of the same family while trying to save a child who fell into the Tigris River, amid ongoing search operations for a seventh missing person with intensive rescue efforts.
6 people from a single family perished by drowning, while a seventh person went missing, in a tragic accident near the Tigris River in the Al-Mahzam area of Salahuddin province in northern Iraq, following an attempt to rescue a child who fell into the water during a family outing.
According to local sources, the incident began when a child fell into the river during a recreational trip made by two families from the capital Baghdad, prompting several family members to descend in sequence to rescue him, before they were swept away by the strong river current due to rising water levels and strong flow, turning the situation into a mass drowning.
The sources indicated that 13 people entered the river's stream during the incident, including men, women, and children, and the civil defense teams managed to rescue 6 people who are alive, while 6 bodies were retrieved, with search efforts continuing for a missing person who may increase the victim count to 7 from the same family.
Following the incident, the governor of Salahuddin, Haitham Al-Zuhwani, directed the provincial police command to closely follow the rescue operations and provide all available resources to support the search and recovery of victims at the scene of the accident.
Furthermore, the police commander of Salahuddin, Major General Mustafa Ahmad Habib, was present at the scene to supervise the search and rescue operations, with the participation of river police teams and diver units of the civil defense directorate.
The governor of Salahuddin expressed his sadness and condolences to the families of the victims, appreciating the efforts of the rescue teams and security forces that quickly dealt with the incident and managed to save a number of people despite difficult field conditions.
Search operations continue in the Tigris River to locate the missing person, while the retrieved bodies have been transferred to the Forensic Medicine Department to complete the necessary legal procedures.
This incident occurs amid a notable rise in the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq during the recent period, due to increased water releases and rainfall in upstream countries over the past few weeks, which has led to increased flow speed and heightened risks of swimming in some river areas.
With the incident coinciding with the Eid al-Adha holiday and many families heading to riverbanks and parks, renewed warnings are issued by authorities against swimming in non-designated areas or approaching muddy edges and slopes, as drowning accidents recur during holiday seasons and official breaks.
