Bodies of young man and woman pulled from Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra

BASRA, Iraq — The bodies of a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s were pulled from the Shatt al-Arab waterway within 24 hours, a security source said on Friday. The man's body was recovered in the morning hours, while the woman had been found in the same stretch of water several hours earlier. Preliminary findings indicate that both individuals jumped from the Italian Bridge to end their lives, according to the source. The circumstances surrounding the two deaths have not yet been clarified beyond the initial assessment. Both bodies were transferred to the forensic medicine department to determine the cause of death and complete legal procedures. The security source said law enforcement units are continuing their investigation to establish the facts of the case. No further details were immediately available.