8 killed as flash floods devastate northern Iraq

By SALAR SALIM
Associated Press

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Northern Iraq’s provincial governor says eight people have died amid severe flooding caused by torrential rainfall in northern Iraq. Omed Khoshnaw says seven have died due to flooding and one was killed in a lightning strike, adding that women and children are feared among the dead. Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage” caused by the flooding. The flooding comes as the Kurdish region copes with a record dry year. Civil Defense teams in the semi-autonomous northern region were still working to help the wounded and identify the missing.