Two passenger buses collided on the Damascus-Deir al-Zor highway on July 25, 2026, killing 35 people and injuring 30 others in central Syria [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The accident occurred between Palmyra and Al-Sukhnah along the key route linking Damascus and Deir al-Zor [3, 6, 5].
One of the buses was carrying members of the Syrian Internal Security Forces, while the other was a civilian passenger vehicle [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Syrian Defence Ministry helicopters evacuated the injured and transported bodies from Palmyra airport to a military hospital in Homs [1, 2, 4, 5].
Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed al-Saleh described the crash as one of the deadliest traffic accidents in recent years. He cited long-term deterioration of road infrastructure as a contributing factor and urged collective responsibility to prevent future tragedies, saying, "这是近年来叙利亚伤亡最惨重的交通事故之一，并呼吁全国上下共同承担责任，防止类似悲剧重演。" [3, 5]
Casualty figures vary: official sources report 35 dead and 30 injured, while one source gives a lower toll of 19 deaths and 27 injuries [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
In the same month, a separate bus accident in southern Syria’s Daraa province killed five pilgrims, mostly Lebanese [3].
