At least 35 people were killed in a head-on collision between two buses on the Zor-Damascus highway in Deir, Syria today. Several others were injured in the accident. The dead included both members of the country’s internal security forces and ordinary passengers.
Al-Jazeera reported that the accident took place on the Deir Az Zor-Damascus highway in eastern Syria on Saturday (July 25). More than 400 kilometers long, this highway connects eastern Syria with the capital Damascus. The accident occurred when two buses collided between Al-Sukhnah and Palmyra.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, one of the two buses that crashed was carrying members of the internal security forces. The other bus had ordinary passengers. Rescue teams reached the spot soon after the accident and started taking the injured to hospital and the death toll is expected to rise.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that an ambulance was dispatched to the scene immediately after the accident to rescue the injured. In addition, the rescue team sent several helicopters to take the injured to the Homs military hospital.
The Deir az-Zor-Damascus highway is known for its dilapidated condition and poor security measures. The accident is seen as a tragic example of the severe deterioration of Syria’s civil infrastructure and road system due to the nearly 14-year-long civil war.
According to the country’s emergency management data earlier, road accidents have become one of the leading causes of death in the country due to infrastructural defects and reckless driving.
TimesBD/ rabbi
