A collision involving two buses on Saturday in Syria resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people, with 30 others sustaining injuries. According to the state news agency Sana, the accident occurred on the main highway route connecting Deir Az Zor to Damascus, one of the country’s most crucial travel arteries linking the east to the capital. Specifically, the collision took place between the areas of al-Sukhnah and Palmyra.
The Ministry of Interior stated that one of the buses was transporting personnel from the Internal Security Forces, while the other was carrying civilians. Emergency ambulances were dispatched immediately to the scene of the disaster. Furthermore, Sana reported that several helicopters were sent to transport the seriously injured to the military hospital in Homs.
This particular road section is considered particularly prone to accidents, reflecting the deteriorated state of infrastructure in Syria following nearly 14 years of civil war. Earlier this year, in October, Minister of Disaster Relief Raed al-Saleh had declared that more than 2,000 traffic accidents had been recorded alone between January and September. According to the minister, road traffic accidents remain one of the most common causes of death in Syria.
