ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A foreign worker was killed and two others were injured in an explosion at a steel factory in Erbil on Wednesday.
Workers were cutting pieces of scrap metal for reprocessing, when an apparent “old bullet exploded,” Yusuf Karim, head of the Erbil branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Syndicate, told Rudaw.
The person who died is from India and the injured workers are also foreigners, according to Karim.
The incident is being investigated.
Work-related accidents are a frequent occurrence in the Kurdistan Region. According to data compiled from the four provincial branches of the syndicate, 18 workers died on the job in the first six months of 2024.
This data might not be accurate according to Chalak Rauf, the head of the syndicate's Sulaimani branch, as some deaths are hidden by employers.
Forty-one workers died across the Kurdistan Region in 2023, according to the syndicate’s data. The construction workers’ organization, however, has very different figures. They said that 73 workers lost their lives in 2023.
Workers in the Kurdistan Region often work in dire conditions, as many employers do not sign contracts with their employees as a way to avoid installing safety measures. Workers who suffer accidents often lose their source of income.
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