SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The body of a child who went missing in the flooding in Erbil in December was found, his family said on Saturday.
Heavy rainfalls triggered flash floods in in Erbil on December 17. Twelve people, including two Nepalis and a Turkish citizen, died in the floods.
Two of the victims who went missing were a shepherd, Omed Shaml, and a 10-month-old child, Danar Nabaz.
The body of the shepherd was found on January 6, according to police.
Danar’s uncle told Esta Media Network that the child’s body was found in a village in Shamamik sub-district in Erbil governorate on Saturday.
“Now, the body was taken to the forensic department for examination,” Hawre Salih said, noting that the clothes and initial signs showed it was Danar’s body.
Separately, Erbil’s civil defense directorate confirmed the body was found in Sorbash Kakala in the sub-district.
Meanwhile, Erbil police said in a statement that its units found the body of a child near a village in the sub-district at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
“Police are investigating to find the identity of the child,” the statement read.
According to governor Omed Khoshnaw, the floods affected 15 areas in Erbil province, including the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
More than 400 houses were affected by the flooding, Khoshnaw said on December 19. As many as 867 vehicles were also damaged, including government’s vehicles, he noted.
The damage “is estimated at 20 to 21 billion Iraqi dinars”, he added.
It was the second occurrence of flooding in Erbil in 2021. In October, flash floods also caused severe damages to the several places in Erbil. Authorities said home furnishing and equipment of 500 families were “completely destroyed” in the floods.
As many as 130 cars, 127 houses, two schools and a number of other projects were also damaged in the floods.
