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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - During a burial ceremony conducted in Basra's northern Harissa district, people mourned the loss of six children and the injury of 14 others as they journeyed home from school.
A truck on Tuesday ran over 20 students near a school in Basra province after the driver lost control of the vehicle, killing at least six of them and injuring 14.
“Don't make people sad like me, my children died while fasting," Jihad Tahir, the father of two of the victims, told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi on Wednesday,
“I told one of them to break his fast and he told me that there was still an hour left and that he would go play football and then break his fast,” he continued.
Jihad gestured towards a child whose face had turned yellow due to the grief of losing his brother and sister, remarking "he's the only remaining child I have."
“We are tired. Our demands have been ignored since 2003,” said Karrar Tahir, Jihad's brother, and father of two other victims.
“We have always asked for the construction of a school, a pedestrian crossing, a traffic unit, or a police force for this road, but they have not responded. If you had seen yesterday's tragedy, the bodies were torn to pieces. God, it was a very shocking moment. God is great,” he added.
Both federal and local government representatives were present at the funeral and heeded the grievances of the residents of the Harissa district, whose demands have not been met for many years. Officials pledged to hold those responsible accountable and to take action on the demands made by the community.
"After this incident, we are committed to taking all necessary measures to hold those responsible accountable and to devise suitable solutions. We will establish a committee to identify the negligent parties," stated Khalaf al-Badran, chairman of the Basra provincial council.
"We have received the requests and, in agreement with the governor, we plan to construct two schools on each side of the road to ensure that children no longer need to cross the main thoroughfare. Additionally, upon completion of the schools, we will proceed with the construction of a dedicated pedestrian bridge," stated Iraqi Education Minister Ibrahim Namis al-Jubouri.
According to Iraq’s health ministry, more than 4,000 people were killed and thousands more injured in traffic accidents in 2023.
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