Bus collision on Damascus-Deir al-Zor highway in Syria kills at least 35

At least 35 people were killed and 30 others injured on July 25, 2026, when a civilian passenger bus collided head-on with a bus carrying Syrian Internal Security Forces on the Damascus-Deir al-Zor highway. The crash, which triggered a massive vehicle fire, prompted military helicopters to airlift casualties to Homs Military Hospital. Syrian officials, including President Ahmed al-Sharaa, offered condolences while acknowledging that the disaster underscores the severe, long-term deterioration of the country's road infrastructure.

Damascus-Deir al-Zor highway collision

• ▪A head-on collision between a civilian passenger bus and a bus carrying Internal Security Forces personnel occurred on the Damascus-Deir al-Zor highway on July 25, 2026.
• ▪The collision between the two buses occurred on a section of the highway between al-Sukhnah and Palmyra.

Death toll casualty count

• ▪The Syrian Health Ministry placed hospitals, health directorates, and blood banks in Homs and Rural Damascus provinces on the highest level of readiness following the crash.
• ▪At least 35 people were killed and 30 others were injured in the bus collision on July 25, 2026.

Emergency response fire control

• ▪Syrian Defense Ministry helicopters evacuated casualties from Palmyra airport to Homs Military Hospital.
• ▪Syria Civil Defense crews extinguished a large fire that broke out on the vehicles as a result of the collision.

Presidential condolences victim families

• ▪Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a swift recovery.
• ▪Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa extended condolences to the families of the victims and instructed that all necessary resources be mobilized to address the aftermath of the accident.

Syrian road infrastructure deterioration

• ▪The director of road transport in Damascus, Moaz Najjar, stated that most roads in the eastern region are in disrepair and have not undergone maintenance for the past 15 years.
• ▪Syrian Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed Al Saleh stated that the crash underscores the urgent need to address challenges facing the country's road infrastructure, which has suffered from years of neglect.

Traffic accident frequency Syria

• ▪The Damascus-Deir al-Zor highway is widely referred to as the "road of death" due to its frequent and deadly traffic accidents.
• ▪Syria Civil Defense responded to 19 traffic accidents across Syria on July 24, 2026, which killed three people and injured seven others prior to the bus collision.