Shafaq News- Halabja

Authorities have narrowed the search for 11-year-old Ruqaya, who disappeared after falling into the Zalm waterfall several days ago, to the surrounding springs and waterways at the Ahmad Awa resort in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Halabja province, a local official announced on Wednesday.

Provincial Civil Defense Director Brig. Gen. Abidin Abdulrahman told a press conference that the decision followed extensive sweeps of the resort and nearby terrain. Additional teams from neighboring provinces and autonomous administrations in the Kurdistan Region, he added, could join the mission if needed.

Abdulrahman also urged residents and volunteers to refrain from conducting individual searches, warning that uncoordinated attempts could put more lives at risk and hinder ongoing efforts.

A day earlier, Al-Sulaymaniyah provincial authorities diverted part of the water flow through large pipes to improve access to the area where Ruqaya is believed to have fallen into the water.