Damascus, Syria – In a traffic tragedy considered one of the deadliest in Syria in recent years, the Syrian Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from a horrific collision between two buses on the Deir ez-Zor – Damascus road has risen to at least 35 dead and 30 injured, amid a medical state of alert and widespread rescue operations.
This disaster once again highlights the severe risks posed by the country’s dilapidated road infrastructure.
Rising Death Toll and Incident Details
The Syrian Ministry of Health reported that the toll of the tragic accident rose to 35 fatalities and 30 injuries, after initial figures indicated 19 dead and 27 injured.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior clarified that the violent collision occurred between a bus carrying members of the Internal Security Forces and a civilian bus, without disclosing the specific number of casualties among the security personnel.
Massive Rescue Response and Emergency Evacuations
Syrian authorities heavily deployed ambulance and civil defense teams to the scene. Helicopters belonging to the Ministry of Defense also participated in the evacuation operations, transporting critical cases to hospitals for immediate treatment.
State media broadcast harrowing footage showing one of the buses engulfed in flames and the wreckage of the two vehicles scattered across the road, while competent authorities launched immediate investigations to determine the circumstances of the disaster.
Dilapidated Infrastructure and Unmaintained Roads
In a related context, Moaz Najjar, Director of the General Establishment for Road Transport in Damascus, stated that authorities have directed top priority to road maintenance in the eastern region, revealing that most roads there have not undergone any maintenance for about 15 years.
Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Al-Saleh described the accident as one of the country’s worst traffic disasters in recent years. He stressed the urgent need to address the dilapidated infrastructure and the road network, which suffers from years of accumulated damage and neglect, to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies that claim dozens of lives.
