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ERBIL, Iraq — A raft overloaded with people dressed in their holiday best to celebrate the Kurdish New Year sank in the Tigris River on Thursday, drowning at least 94 men, women and children, Iraqi security and health officials said.
Families in Mosul had thronged onto the raft to take them to an island with a picnic ground and a small amusement park. As they crossed the Tigris, one of the metal cables pulling the raft snapped, and the raft capsized, dumping almost everyone into the water, according to eyewitness accounts.
The water, high and swift because of the spring rains, swept them downstream in a matter of seconds. Videos taken by those on shore show passengers’ heads bobbing briefly above the water.
People on shore rushed to help, said Mosul’s mayor, Zuhair al-Araji.
“The Civil Defense force tried to save everyone they could in cooperation with the aquatic security forces and with fishermen and volunteers,” he said.
Iraq’s prime minister, Adil Abdul Mehdi, declared three days of mourning and flew to Mosul to pay respects to those who had lost family members. The Iraqi Parliament is opening an investigation.
Most of the dead were women and children. Some could be seen in videos trying to swim, but the river was too swift.
At least 41 people were rescued, said Saif Al-Badir, a doctor and the spokesman for the Ministry of Health. However, those numbers could change as more bodies are found or more survivors inform the authorities that they are alive.
Mari Mohammed, 25, an English student at Mosul University, was among those who rushed to help. He had taken the vessel to the island earlier in the day to celebrate the Kurdish New Year with a friend, paying 1000 Iraqi dinars, about 84 cents, for the round-trip ticket.
In midafternoon, they heard people cry out and they rushed to the small beach. In an instant, they grabbed a small motorboat owned by the amusement park and headed into the river.
“I don’t swim very well and I had not swum in a long time so I was afraid,” said Mr. Mohammed, recalling how he felt as their small craft pushed off.
The first person they helped was a man, then farther out in the river was a young girl. “We pulled her out of the water,” Mr. Mohammed said, but she was very cold and feeling sick from swallowing “all the dirty things from the river.”
“I felt I did something good, but I feel sorry for everyone else,” he said. “The current was really strong; there were a lot of people going by us, and we didn’t have enough time to pick up others. The river took them.”
Mosul was occupied by the Islamic State for nearly four years until late 2017, when the extremists were defeated by a punishing air and ground fight that left the city shattered. The gradual return of small pleasures and holiday celebrations has been a balm to the battered population and has helped bring back a sense of normalcy, making the deadly river accident seem especially unjust.
Celebrating the Kurdish New Year, known as Nowruz, dates to 1700 B.C. and incorporates Zoroastrian traditions in a celebration of spring. In Kurdistan on the first day of Nowruz, which is celebrated on March 19, Kurds light fires outdoors that they say are meant to symbolize the last fire of winter.
Also known as the Persian New Year, it is celebrated across the territory that once made up the ancient Persian Empire, from the Middle East to Central Asia, and is enjoyed by many people who are of neither Kurdish nor Persian backgrounds.
Although the days are still cool in northern Iraq, Thursday was sunny and people flocked to picnic outdoors. Among them was Mohammed Alwan, 28, who went with a friend to the riverbank to celebrate the holiday.
“I hesitated to get on the ferry,’’ he said. “I saw the number of people on the ferry and I knew something would happen. But one of my friends pushed me and joked with me and said, ‘God is with us, don’t be afraid.’’’
“Right after that, the accident happened,” Mr. Alwan added. “I cannot describe it; the screaming of the women and children still is in my ears and I still don’t know what happened to my friend.”
For some of the grieving families it seemed unbearable after so much tragedy in their city.
“I just want to know who is responsible for this disaster,” said 65-year-old Muayed Imad Aldin, who lost three of his children. “Isn’t it enough what happened in Mosul with the Islamic State, with victims still under the rubble? Isn’t it enough what the Islamic State did to us — and today we lost our women and children and young men.”
