Roj Bash Kurdistan

Kurdistan New Years ferry sinking:
'More than 70 dead' in Tigris river

More than 70 people are reported to have died after a ferry sank in the Tigris river in Iraq's city of Mosul

Most of the 100 passengers said to have been on board could not swim, the head of Mosul's civil defence agency said.

The ferry was reportedly heading towards a tourist island as part of Kurdish New Year celebrations. Rescue teams are looking for survivors.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has ordered an investigation, according to the state-run Iraqia News TV network.

Authorities had reportedly warned people about rising water levels as the gates of the Mosul dam had been opened, and some are accusing the ship operator of ignoring the advice.

Images on social media show the upturned vessel and people floating in the fast-flowing river.

The vessel was reportedly on its way to Umm Rabaen island, a tourist area about 4km (2.5 miles) upstream and north of the city centre. People across the region are celebrating Nowruz, the Kurdish New Year festival.

Local information source Mosul Eye has tweeted an "urgent appeal" for people to go down to the river near the Fifth Bridge and the Old Bridge in the city centre to help with the rescue.

It called on motorists to stop their cars to allow ambulances carrying victims to pass.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has reportedly sent 10 ambulances to Mosul from the nearby city of Duhok to help.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-47657105

Most of the 100 passengers said to have been on board could not swim, the head of Mosul's civil defence agency said.

That's the problem in Kurdistan : children don't learn at school, swimming-pools are expansive, and people can only swim at summer, in rivers that might be dangerous.

In France, many pupils have swimming courses as a part of school-program. That's an obligation.

Scores drown as ferry packed with people
celebrating Kurdish new year sinks near Mosul

The ferry, carrying at least 80 people, sank in the Tigris river in Iraq on Thursday

Many women and children died and there were not enough rescue boats around

People on ferry were celebrating Nowruz, an ancient Persian new year festival

At least 71 people have died in a ferry disaster in Iraq after the vessel sank in the Tigris during Kurdish new year celebrations.

The overloaded ferry went down near the city of Mosul on Thursday as scores of people were out in a tourist area celebrating Nowruz, an ancient Persian festival.

The death toll could yet rise as search operations continue, with many women and children said to be among the dead.

Col. Hussam Khalil, head of civil defence in the northern Nineveh province, said more than 80 people were on the ferry when it sank.

He said the ferry sank because of a technical problem and that there were not many boats in the area to rescue drowning revellers.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Saad Maan said 71 people had died, adding that 55 have been rescued, including 19 children.

Earlier, a health ministry official said the dead included 33 women, 12 children and 10 men.

Another civil defence official said 12 people had been rescued from the ferry as it sank into the Tigris river.

The accident appeared to have happened against a backdrop of fairground rides including a ferris wheel and small roller-coaster.

The river's level was high because of a rainy season that brought more precipitation than previous years.

Iraqi forces drove ISIS jihadists from Mosul in 2017 after a devastating campaign that left entire neighbourhoods in ruins.

ISIS extremists were said to have carried out forced displacement, summary killings and the use of human shields in the Iraqi city.

Also known as the Persian new year, the Nowruz festival, which falls today, marks the arrival of spring.

The holiday dates back to at least 1700 BC and incorporates ancient Zoroastrian traditions

It is the most important event in the Kurdish and Iranian calendars and is widely celebrated across the territories of the old Persian empire, from the Mideast to Central Asia.

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... Mosul.html