Body of 13-year-old girl found but unrecovered after 8 days in Kurdistan Region stream

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Search teams have located the body of a 13-year-old girl from Karbala who drowned in a stream at a tourist area in the Kurdistan Region, but recovery efforts have been underway for more than eight days without success, according to information obtained from the scene. Civil Defense teams said the body is trapped between rocks in a section of the stream with strong currents, preventing divers from retrieving it. Crews are working to lift portions of the rock to free the body, with officials stating that the coming hours will be decisive for the recovery operation. The girl had been on a trip with her family to the Kurdistan Region when the incident occurred. Once recovered, her remains will be transferred to the forensic medicine department, and following the completion of procedures, the body will be transported to Karbala to be released to her family. Investigations into the circumstances of the incident remain ongoing.