Two workers killed, 19 injured as under-construction building in Iraq's Kirkuk collapses

Dubai: Two workers were killed and 19 others injured after a building under construction collapsed in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, officials said on Monday.

The incident occurred in the Wahda district while concrete pouring works were under way, trapping several workers beneath the debris.

Civil defence teams rushed to the scene and carried out rescue operations under the direct supervision of local authorities, managing to pull a number of workers from the rubble and recover the bodies of the two workers.

 A medical source said the injured suffered fractures, wounds and bruises, with some cases described as critical. All casualties were transferred to nearby hospitals, where emergency teams were placed on high alert to handle the situation.

 Kirkuk police spokesman Amer Nouri said the collapse happened while at least 10 workers were inside the structure, adding that the cause of the incident remains under investigation. Authorities have launched an investigation to identify the circumstances surrounding the collapse.