Student dies by suicide in Iraq's Dhi Qar, separate fire burns date palms

DHI QAR, Iraq — An 18-year-old female high school student died by suicide in the center of Nasiriya, in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province, a security source said on Saturday. The student used an electrical cord to hang herself inside her room, and her body was transferred to the forensic medicine department. A broad investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death. The incident occurred during the period when final-year high school students sit for ministry exams. Experts told local media that student suicides tend to rise annually during this period, citing the high stakes attached to the exams, question difficulty and intense family pressure on candidates. In a separate incident in Dhi Qar, a large fire broke out in a palm grove in the village of Al Sehlan, north of Nasiriya, burning more than 20 date palm trees. Civil defense teams from the Dhi Qar Civil Defense Directorate responded after receiving a report and brought the blaze under control in a short time. No casualties were reported, and initial findings indicated the fire was caused by children's activity in the grove.