Floods caused by torrential rainstorms killed four hikers in the Sulaimaniyah region of northern Iraq on Friday, local officials told AFP. “Four members of a hiking team drowned because of heavy rains and flooding in Awaspi village” in Qaradah district, local official Rouf Kamal said. Civil defence spokesperson Aram Ali confirmed the toll, and said eight other hikers survived the incident south of Sulaimaniyah, the autonomous Kurdistan region’s second city. He said a weather warning had been issued on Thursday, with hikers in particular urged to avoid mountainous areas. Heavier than usual rain…