Iraq Gas Explosion: At Least 11 Dead, 13 Injured

After a fuel tank explosion in northern Iraq that left at least 11 dead and caused a house to collapse, rescuers looked for more fatalities on Friday, according to local authorities.

At least 11 people were killed and 13 injured in the explosion in Sulaimaniyah on Thursday night, according to Saman Nader, the city's emergency response coordinator, speaking to AFP.

He attributed the explosion to "a tank gas leak."

Iraq has been devastated by war, and much of its infrastructure is crumbling. Tragedies are frequent. Additionally, the country experiences lax enforcement of safety regulations, particularly in the construction and transportation industries.

Four people, according to Mr. Nader, are still trapped beneath the debris of the three-story house that collapsed in the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq's second-largest city.

The persons trapped under the fallen house have been the focus of our teams' efforts for more than 15 hours, according to Mr. Nader.

Residents in the area observed emergency personnel continuing the rescue operation amidst crumpled white bricks and bent metal on Friday morning.

The explosion damaged the windows and stained the neighboring building's facade.

10 deaths were listed in an earlier death toll released by Sulaimaniyah's health authorities on Friday morning.

According to Sulaimaniyah Governor Haval Abu Bakr, who called for a day of mourning, at least one child was among the victims.

A gas tanker accidentally exploded in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, at the end of October, resulting in at least nine fatalities and 13 injuries.

When improperly stored oxygen cylinders exploded in a Baghdad hospital fire in April 2021, more than 80 people perished.