Syria bus crash kills at least 35

A devastating collision between two passenger buses on a desert highway in central-eastern Syria claimed at least 35 lives on Saturday. State media reported that 30 additional individuals sustained injuries in the crash on the Damascus-Deir Ezzor road.

The Interior Ministry confirmed that one of the buses was carrying internal security forces personnel, while the other was a civilian bus. The exact number of casualties from each vehicle has not been specified. State television aired footage depicting a bus engulfed in flames and scattered debris littering the highway, with military helicopters deployed to transport the injured.

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places a shared national responsibility on all of us to work to prevent such painful incidents from recurring

Raed Al Saleh, the minister of emergency and disaster management, described the incident as one of the deadliest road accidents in Syria in recent years. He emphasized that preventing such tragedies requires a collective national responsibility and highlighted the urgent need to address the country's road infrastructure, which has suffered from years of neglect and war damage.

This accident follows a similar incident earlier in July, where five people died and dozens were injured when a bus carrying pilgrims overturned in southern Syria. Years of civil war have severely degraded Syria's road network, with some officials noting that major roads have not seen maintenance in 15 years. Authorities have reportedly prioritized road maintenance in the eastern region.

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underscored the need to address Syria's road infrastructure, which he said was burdened by years of neglect and war damage