ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The body of the shepherd who died in the most recent flooding in Erbil was found by two locals in one of the city’s neighbourhoods on Thursday, with a ten-month-old victim of the same floods remaining missing.
Erbil governor’s office said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that the body of Omed Namiq had been found, adding that efforts to find the young child, Danar Nabaz, continue.
Twelve people, including the two immediately missing, died when flash floods hit several neighbourhoods in Erbil in the early hours of December 17. The flooding also caused much material damage.
Search teams have been searching the dead bodies of Namiq and Nabaz since.
Mohammed Jum’a and Yassin Jum’a, two brothers who found the body of the shepherd in Erbil’s Zhyan neighbourhood at around 2pm, told Rudaw's Halabja Saadun on Thursday that they were searching for metal to sell in the market when they found the body. “We saw his back and began digging,” Mohammed said, adding that they later informed local authorities.
Erbil province often faces severe floods in the colder seasons of the year. Nearly 600 houses suffered material damage and stalling vehicles blocked flooded main roads in the first strong rainfall of the year in late October.
The city's residents, businesses, and top officials have collectively allocated millions of dollars to those who were affected by both floods.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has blamed the city's sewage system for recent floods. Erbil suffers from an inadequate water supply distribution network and an unsustainable drainage system. Sewers often overflow, leading to sewage escaping and mixing with stormwater.
