Iraq Probes Fish Die-off in Southern Marshes 

This aerial view shows fish floating on the surface of the water during during a mass die-off at the Ibn Najm marsh, about 25 kilometers northeast of Najaf in central Iraq on June 1, 2025. (AFP)
This aerial view shows fish floating on the surface of the water during during a mass die-off at the Ibn Najm marsh, about 25 kilometers northeast of Najaf in central Iraq on June 1, 2025. (AFP)
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Iraq Probes Fish Die-off in Southern Marshes 

This aerial view shows fish floating on the surface of the water during during a mass die-off at the Ibn Najm marsh, about 25 kilometers northeast of Najaf in central Iraq on June 1, 2025. (AFP)
This aerial view shows fish floating on the surface of the water during during a mass die-off at the Ibn Najm marsh, about 25 kilometers northeast of Najaf in central Iraq on June 1, 2025. (AFP)

Iraqi authorities on Monday launched a probe into a mass die-off of fish in the southern marshlands, the latest in a string of such events in recent years.

One possible cause for the localized die-off could be a shortage of oxygen sparked by low water flow, increased evaporation and rising temperatures fueled by climate change.

Another possible reason could be chemicals used by fishermen to make it easier to catch their prey, local officials and activists told AFP.

AFP images showed large quantities of silver fish floating in the marshlands of Ibn Najm near the southern city of Najaf.

Buffaloes could be seen surrounded by dead fish, trying to cool themselves off in the water.

"We have received several citizens' complaints," said chief environmental officer in Najaf, Jamal Abd Zeid, adding that a technical inspection team had been set up.

An AFP photographer at the site saw a team of civil servants collecting water from the marshland.

Among the issues the team was tasked with probing, Abd Zeid said, were a shortage of water, electrical fishing and the use by fishermen of "poisons".

For at least five years, Iraq has been hit by successive droughts fueled by climate change.

Authorities also blame the construction of dams by neighboring Iran and Türkiye for the drastic drop in flow in Iraq's rivers.

The destruction of Iraq's natural environment is only the latest layer of suffering imposed on a country that has endured decades of war and political oppression.

"We need lab tests to determine the exact cause" of the fish die-off, said environmental activist Jassim al-Assadi.

A lack of oxygen caused by low water flow, heat, evaporation and wind were all possible reasons, he said.

He said agricultural pesticides could also have led to the mass die-off.

Probes into other similar events showed the use of poison in fishing led to mass deaths.

"It is dangerous for public health, as well as for the food chain," Assadi said.

"Using poison today, then again in a month or two... It's going to accumulate."



1 Killed and 19 Injured as Hot Air Balloons Crash in Central Türkiye

Sight-seeing hot air balloons launch in Göreme Historical National Park in the Cappadocia region, Nevsehir, central Türkiye, Aug. 24, 2022. (AFP)
Sight-seeing hot air balloons launch in Göreme Historical National Park in the Cappadocia region, Nevsehir, central Türkiye, Aug. 24, 2022. (AFP)
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1 Killed and 19 Injured as Hot Air Balloons Crash in Central Türkiye

Sight-seeing hot air balloons launch in Göreme Historical National Park in the Cappadocia region, Nevsehir, central Türkiye, Aug. 24, 2022. (AFP)
Sight-seeing hot air balloons launch in Göreme Historical National Park in the Cappadocia region, Nevsehir, central Türkiye, Aug. 24, 2022. (AFP)

Two hot air balloons crashed in central Türkiye on Sunday, leaving one person dead and 19 injured, according to local media reports.

The accident occurred near the Ihlara Valley in Aksaray province, the private Ilhas News Agency and other outlets said. It was not immediately clear why the hot air balloons crashed.

Hot air ballooning is a popular tourist activity over the rugged landscape of central Türkiye, which is dotted with ancient churches hewn into cliff faces. The attractions include the “fairy chimneys” of Cappadocia, tall, cone-shaped rock formations created by natural erosion over thousands of years that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Video from Ilhas showed one deflated balloon, its passenger basket lying on its side, as emergency services tended to injured people.

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