Nearly half a million tourists poured into Erbil during the Newroz, official statement says

Shafaq News/ Nearly half a million people visited tourist sites in Erbil during the Newroz holidays, with four dead and 27 injured in multiple incidents.

A statement of Erbil's governor's office said that the influx of tourists to the governorate's sites was tarred by multiple sporadic incidents and poor adhrence to the preventive measures, despite the plans rolled by the govenorate administration in preparation for the holidays.

The statement said that between March 16 and 23, 42,772 tourists arrived in the governorate, of whom 16,210 came from the central and southern governorates of Iraq during the first three days. The cumulative count of tourists amounted to nearly 490 thousand.

The traffic plans laid by the governorate effectively limited the traffic congestion in the governorate. Seven accidents occured in the reported period. The victims left four victims and 27 injured.

The statement said that 92 crimes were recorded, 87 were resolved, and the perpetrators were arrested, indicating that the remaining five crimes are still under investigation.

The statement confirmed that the Civil Defense Directorate in Erbil responded to ten fire alarms and one drowning rescue case. The operations went smoothly with little material damage and no human casualties.