ARBIL (AFP) – Eight people in northern Iraq died Friday in flash floods caused by torrential rains in Arbil, capital of the Kurdistan region, provincial governor Omid Khoshnaw said. In a country dealing with severe drought, many were caught by surprise and drowned as powerful storm waters began surging into their homes before dawn. “The floods began at 4:00 am, and have left eight dead including women and children,” he told AFP, reporting “significant” damage, especially in a working-class district in the east of the city of Arbil. Four members of the civil defense team who came to help residents were injured when their car was washed away, he added.