At least eight people, including a girl, have died as a result of torrential rains in Erbil province in northern Iraq, an official said on Friday.

In a statement, Omid Khoshnaw, governor of Erbil in the northern Kurdish region, said: “The floods also caused great material losses.”

Torrents swept through residential areas in Erbil province in the past few hours, submerging a number of houses./agencies