Iraqi PM forms crisis cell for Mosul, excludes governor
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The governor of Nineveh was excluded from a crisis committee formed to investigate the Mosul ferry disaster that killed 96 people, mainly women and children. The decision was made as the city vented rage against the governor who they say is corrupt.
Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi will chair the crisis cell that includes the commander of Nineveh Operations, head of the province’s police, and the president of Ninevah University.
They will have executive powers to “carry out an investigation as quickly as possible, punish those responsible and decide on compensation,” read a statement from Abdul-Mahdi’s office.
They have adopted the extraordinary powers because of the “exceptional conditions” in Nineveh, he added.
Governor Nawfal Hamadi was informed of the creation of the cell in order that he can comply with its decisions, the statement added.
On Thursday, a ferry moving people across the Tigris River to celebrate the Newroz holiday at an amusement park capsized and sank. The Ministry of Health confirmed that 96 people have died, mostly women and children, and 60 people were rescued, Iraqi state media reported.
The tragedy has angered the city with people blaming high level corruption for the incident.
The governor attempted to visit the spot where the ferry capsized on Friday morning, but protesters prevented him from exiting his vehicle and threw stones at his departing motorcade. His vehicle reportedly hit a number of people, some of whom had to be taken to hospital.
“My friends were injured & taken to the hospital,” tweeted Ali Y. al-Baroodi a photographer and teacher based in the city. He accused the governor of driving over protesters.
Hamadi was elected governor by the Iraqi parliament in 2015 to replace his predecessor Atheel al-Nujaifi who was ousted after Mosul fell to the Islamic State (ISIS). He has been accused of corruption by a parliamentary committee looking into Mosul and its fall to ISIS.