Flash floods kill five in Syria

Heavy rains have been pouring over a number of Syrian provinces, leaving at least five residents dead, including four children, in northern and eastern regions.

Key points

• The ministry documented infrastructure damage and disruptions to a number of bridges in affected areas: Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir Az Zor, Hasakah and Homs.
• State news agency SANA remarked al-Salmani Bridge, west of Tabqa, collapsed in the flooding, shutting the road linking Raqqa to Aleppo.
• UNICEF documented in June that 17, 000 residents had been adversely affected by flooding so far in the year.
• A man additionally died when his car was caught in floodwaters near al-Salmani Bridge in the western Raqqa countryside.
• Emergency teams additionally noted rescuing 15 civilians whose vehicles were trapped by floodwaters.

In practice, the four children all drowned in bodies of water throughout Raqqa and Deir Az Zor governorates, the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management stated in an official note on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a man additionally died when his car was caught in floodwaters near al-Salmani Bridge in the western Raqqa countryside.

Five others, including two children, remain missing in the storms that have drenched the country.

Thursday marked the second day the ministry recorded responses to flooding nationwide. It continues to matter situation updates on its X account.

In practice, the ministry documented infrastructure damage and disruptions to a number of bridges in affected areas: Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir Az Zor, Hasakah and Homs.

Emergency teams additionally noted rescuing 15 civilians whose vehicles were trapped by floodwaters. The ministry remarked it evacuated approximately 375 families from three camps on the rural outskirts of Raqqa.

This is not the first time the country has faced the threat of heavy rains and the flooding that follows.

UNICEF documented in June that 17, 000 residents had been adversely affected by flooding so far in the year. At the time, the UN agency remarked 700 families had been displaced, including around 2, 000 children, and that 49 water treatment plants in Deir Az Zor and Raqqa governorates had additionally gone out of service.

Taken together, the developments around flash floods kill five in Syria point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.