ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - At least one construction worker has died and four others have been injured at the Erbil Water Supply Emergency Project, according to a reporter from The New Region, citing sources within Erbil’s Western Emergency Hospital.

Shakhawan Saeed, spokesperson for Erbil’s civil defense directorate, told The New Region that construction workers were buried under soil following a trench collapse at the site, with the survivors being rescued and rushed to the hospital.

Saeed mentioned that the injured workers are in stable condition.

The accident took place on the site of the landmark water initiative, inaugurated by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in September 2024, which is considered the largest water project in the Kurdistan Region and could save Erbil from water scarcity for at least another 20 years.

More than 75 percent of the work has been completed to date, and the entire project is set to be finished later this year, ahead of schedule.

The project is located on the Upper Zab River in the Kawrgosk subdistrict of Erbil and has a budget of 480 million dollars.