Flash Floods Kill One and Destroy Bridge in Eastern Syria
At least one person lost their life on Saturday after flash floods caused a bridge to collapse in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province. The incident disrupted a major transport route and left several residential communities cut off from one another.
The Al-Suwayiyah bridge, located east of Al-Bukamal, forms part of an important road connecting the city with the Iraqi border. Its collapse prevented residents from travelling between the two sides.
Hisham Matar, head of the civil defense department in Al-Bukamal, told Anadolu that rising floodwaters inundated several houses and roads. Damage to the electricity infrastructure also triggered power outages across affected areas.
Emergency and rescue teams have been working around the clock to evaluate the destruction, monitor water levels and respond to residents’ needs.
Mohammed Bdewi said his brother, Hussein, was travelling across the bridge when it suddenly collapsed. He had been returning home after taking his sister to her village.
Bdewi blamed poor maintenance and prolonged neglect for the disaster, calling on authorities to construct a permanent bridge rather than continue depending on temporary repairs.
Meanwhile, intense rainfall has triggered flooding across several Syrian provinces, including Deir ez-Zor, Latakia and Aleppo.
In Latakia’s Bayirbucak region, floodwaters destroyed another bridge connecting villages on either side of the Al-Kabir al-Shamali River. Provincial officials confirmed that restoration work was underway.
Flooding has also damaged agricultural land and residential communities in Afrin, located north of Aleppo.
The latest disaster follows deadly flooding in late October, when seven civilians, including five children, died in rural areas of Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo, according to the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management.
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