Syria bus crash death toll rises to 35

A collision between two passenger buses in central-eastern Syria has resulted in 35 fatalities, state media reported on Saturday. The incident occurred on the Damascus-Deir Ezzor road, between the Sukhna and Palmyra areas.

According to the SANA news agency, which cited a Health Ministry official, an additional 30 people were injured in the crash. Syria’s Interior Ministry confirmed that one of the buses was transporting security personnel, while the other was a civilian bus, though casualty figures for each group were not specified.

State media broadcast footage depicting one of the buses engulfed in flames, with debris scattered across the highway. This tragic event follows another bus accident earlier in July, where five people were killed and dozens injured when a bus returning from Saudi Arabia overturned in southern Syria's Daraa province. Speeding was suggested as a potential cause for that crash.

Years of civil war and neglect have led to the deterioration of Syria's infrastructure, with many roads requiring urgent repairs. In a separate incident last year, a bus collided with an oil tanker in northeastern Syria, killing at least 12 people and injuring several others.