SULAIMANIYAH: A fire that engulfed around fifteen fuel tankers in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region killed one driver and injured seven others on Monday, local authorities said.
The exact cause of the fire, which broke out in a parking area for the Parviz Khan border crossing that connects the autonomous Kurdistan region with Iran, was still under investigation.
“Firefighters have brought the fire at the Parviz Khan border crossing under control,” the Garmiyan regional municipality, home to the crossing, said in a statement.
“One person was killed and seven others injured,” it said, adding that the victims were all taken to hospital.
“The fire broke out around 1900 (1600 GMT) in a parking area reserved for fuel tankers and lasted around two hours,” the municipal spokesman Shoman Ahmed told AFP.
The fire destroyed 15 tankers carrying petroleum derivatives, he said, adding that a lorry driver died while firefighters were among the injured.
An investigative committee has been appointed to establish the cause of the fire, but initial reports suggest that a driver had taken out a gas stove to prepare a meal, Ahmed said.
Fires are a frequent occurrence in Iraq, where safety rules are often not followed, especially in the construction and transportation sectors.
With summer temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, the country has experienced several fires in recent months including in shopping centers, warehouses and even hospitals.
Iraq fire tears through fuel tankers, kills one driver
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Iraq fire tears through fuel tankers, kills one driver
- The fire injured 7, destroyed 15 tankers carrying petroleum derivatives
Iran unrest persists, top judge warns protesters
- Demonstrations sparked by soaring inflation
- Western provinces worst affected
DUBAI: Iran’s top judge warned protesters on Wednesday there would be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic,” while accusing Israel and the US of pursuing hybrid methods to disrupt the country.
The current protests, the biggest wave of dissent in three years, began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar by shopkeepers condemning the currency’s free fall.
Unrest has since spread nationwide amid deepening distress over economic hardships, including rocketing inflation driven by mismanagement and Western sanctions, and curbs on political and social freedoms.
“Following announcements by Israel and the US president, there is no excuse for those coming to the streets for riots and unrest, chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, was quoted as saying by state media.
“From now on, there will be no leniency for whoever helps the enemy against the Islamic Republic and the calm of the people,” Ejei said.
Iranian authorities have not given a death toll for protesters, but have said at least two members of the security services have died and more than a dozen have been injured.
Iran’s western provinces have witnessed the most violent protests.
“During the funeral of two people in Malekshahi on Tuesday, a number of attendees began chanting harsh, anti-system slogans,” said Iran’s Fars, news agency.
After the funeral, Fars said, “about 100 mourners went into the city and trashed three banks ... Some started shooting at the police trying to disperse them.”
The semi-official Mehr news agency said protesters stormed a food store and emptied bags of rice, which has been affected by galloping inflation that has made ordinary staples increasingly unaffordable for many Iranians.
