Syria flash floods kill at least five, including four children
Heavy rains across northern and eastern Syria left four children and one man dead, with five others still missing, the emergency ministry said.
At a glance
- Heavy rains in northern and eastern Syria killed at least five people, including four children, the emergency ministry said.
- Four children drowned in Raqqa and Deir Az Zor; a man died when his car was caught in floodwaters near al-Salmani Bridge.
- Five people, including two children, are missing, and about 375 families were evacuated from camps near Raqqa.
Heavy rains across several Syrian provinces have killed at least five people, including four children, in the country's northern and eastern regions, according to the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management.
The four children drowned in bodies of water in Raqqa and Deir Az Zor governorates, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. A man died after his car was caught in floodwaters near al-Salmani Bridge in the western Raqqa countryside.
Five other people, two of them children, remain missing in the storms that have drenched the country.
Thursday was the second day the ministry recorded flood responses nationwide, and it continued to post situation updates on its X account.
Bridges and camps affected
The ministry reported infrastructure damage and disruption to several bridges in Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir Az Zor, Hasakah and Homs. State news agency SANA said al-Salmani Bridge, west of Tabqa, collapsed in the flooding, closing the road between Raqqa and Aleppo.
Emergency teams said they rescued 15 civilians whose vehicles were trapped by floodwaters. The ministry also said it evacuated about 375 families from three camps on the rural outskirts of Raqqa.
Recurring flooding
This is not the first time Syria has faced the threat of heavy rains and the flooding that follows. UNICEF reported in June that 17,000 people had been affected by flooding that year.
At the time, the UN agency said 700 families had been displaced, including about 2,000 children, and that 49 water treatment plants in Deir Az Zor and Raqqa governorates had gone out of service.
The latest deaths add to the toll on communities in the east and north, where the ministry says rescue and evacuation work is continuing.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- How many people died in the Syria flash floods?
- At least five people died, including four children who drowned in Raqqa and Deir Az Zor governorates, and a man whose car was caught in floodwaters near al-Salmani Bridge in western rural Raqqa.
- Which areas of Syria were affected by the flooding?
- The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management reported damage and disruption to bridges in Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir Az Zor, Hasakah and Homs. State agency SANA said al-Salmani Bridge, west of Tabqa, collapsed, closing the Raqqa-Aleppo road.
- Has Syria been hit by serious flooding before?
- Yes. UNICEF reported in June that 17,000 people had been affected by flooding that year, with 700 families displaced including about 2,000 children, and 49 water treatment plants in Deir Az Zor and Raqqa out of service.
