Two children drown in separate incidents in Babil and Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq — BABIL/MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi Civil Defense divers recovered the body of a child born in 2012 from a water canal in the Verdiya area of Babil province, a security source said. The recovery followed a search launched after a report was filed, and the body was referred to the relevant authorities to complete legal procedures. In a separate incident the same day, River Police divers found the body of a child born in 2011 in the Tigris River in the Nemrud subdistrict, southeast of Mosul. After a roughly hour-long diving operation, the body was transferred to the forensic medicine department for an autopsy and investigation. Officials noted that drowning cases in rivers tend to increase during the summer months and urged families to keep children away from deep areas not suitable for swimming. Separately, authorities reported that the body of a 13-year-old child who drowned in the Tigris in the Vana subdistrict, north of Mosul, had been recovered earlier the same day.