One drowns, three rescued after youths trapped in Euphrates in western Anbar

BAGHDAD, Iraq — One young man drowned and three others were rescued after the group became stranded while swimming in the Euphrates River near the Martyr Wahid Bridge in the Jebe subdistrict of western Anbar province, an Anbar police source said on Friday. The source said the four youths were caught in the water while swimming, and rapid response teams, assisted by local residents, managed to bring three of them out alive. The fourth disappeared in the river. Search teams were mobilized in the area and operations to locate the missing youth were continuing, according to the source. The incident came as similar drownings recur during Iraq's hot summer months, when people enter rivers to cool off. Authorities urged the public to heed safety warnings and avoid swimming outside designated areas. No further details on the missing youth were immediately available.