ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Wednesday directed the country’s education minister to visit Basra and investigate the accident from the day before which resulted in the killing of least six students. A truck on Tuesday ran over 20 students near a school in Basra province, killing at least six of them. Education Minister Ibrahim Namis al-Jubouri will deliver Sudani’s condolences to the victims' families and monitor the investigation into the incident “to ensure that such tragedies are avoided,” according to a statement from the premier’s office. Acting speaker of the Iraqi parliament Muhsin al-Mandalawi called for securing the vicinity of schools by setting up safe crossing zones and bridges for students and preventing the passage of trucks near schools. He also called for an expedited disclosure of the results of the probe. Mandalawi extended his condolences to the families of the victims and announced his willingness to send the critically wounded for treatment outside of Iraq. Car accidents are a common occurrence in Iraq especially during holidays, religious ceremonies, and special events. At least 10 teachers and three of their children were killed after a truck collided with a minivan carrying the teaching staff of a school in Basra province’s Safwan town. Over 11,500 traffic accidents occurred in the country in 2022, killing more than 3,000 and wounding over 12,600 others, according to data from Iraq’s planning ministry. Iraq’s general traffic directorate in November revealed that around 7,000 car accidents occurred in the first 10 months of 2023.
