At least 35 people were killed and 30 injured on Friday when two passenger buses collided on the Damascus–Deir ez-Zor highway in Syria's eastern desert, the health ministry's emergency director confirmed. The crash occurred between the towns of Sukhnah and Palmyra, involving one bus carrying Internal Security Forces personnel and another transporting civilian passengers.
Among the dead were 10 soldiers and nine civilians, according to an initial toll reported by Alikhbaria TV. The defence ministry deployed helicopters to assist in evacuating casualties from the remote stretch of road.
Emergency services in Deir ez-Zor province said 37 injured and five bodies were transferred to Palmyra for treatment and identification. The figures were corroborated by state news agency SANA and health officials. The cause of the collision was not immediately disclosed.