Families of sunken ferry protested against Iraqi president's visit

On Thursday afternoon, a ferry sank into the Tigris river, killing 100 people.

The victims' families had gathered at the place where the ferry sank to mourn and to demand justice for the dead and injured.

As Salih arrived at that location, the victims' relatives surrounded the Iraqi president, who was rushed out of the area by police.

Separately, Nineveh Governor Nofal Hammadi was attacked by protesters, who threw bricks at the governor’s vehicle as he attempted to drive through the crowd.

Most of the casualties on the overloaded ferry were women and children who could not swim, said the head of Mosul’s Civil Defense Authority Husam Khalil.

He said the ferry had been loaded to several times its capacity. “It can normally carry 50 people. There were 250 on board before the incident,” he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi visited the area immediately after the ferry sank and ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.

He also declared three days of mourning across Iraq.

Kurdistan Regional Government has also declared a period of mourning and canceled a number of Newroz activities out of respect for the victims.

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