Torrential downpours across several Syrian provinces have killed at least five people, including four children, in the country’s northern and eastern regions.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management confirmed that four children had drowned in bodies of water in the governorates of Raqqa and Deir Az Zor. A man also died after his car was swept away by floodwaters near the al-Salmani Bridge in western Raqqa countryside, reports Al Jazeera.
Search operations are continuing for five missing people, including two children.
Thursday marked the second consecutive day of official flood response operations across the country, with the ministry providing updates through its X account.
Severe damage to infrastructure and disruptions to bridges were reported in Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir Az Zor, Hasakah and Homs. Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the collapse of the al-Salmani Bridge, west of Tabqa, forced the complete closure of the road connecting Raqqa and Aleppo.
Emergency rescue teams rescued 15 civilians who were trapped in their vehicles by rising floodwaters. Authorities also evacuated around 375 families from three displacement camps on the outskirts of rural Raqqa.
The latest disaster follows previous severe weather incidents in the country. In June, UNICEF reported that 17,000 people had been affected by flooding earlier in the year.
The UN agency said 700 families, including around 2,000 children, had been displaced, while 49 water treatment plants across Deir Az Zor and Raqqa governorates had been put out of service.
