The death toll from a collision involving two passenger buses on a major highway in central-eastern Syria has risen to 35, according to Syrian authorities.
State news agency SANA reported on Saturday, citing a Health Ministry official, that 30 people were also injured in the crash on the Damascus-Deir Ezzor highway.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said one of the buses was carrying security personnel while the other was transporting civilian passengers. It did not specify how many members of the security forces were among the casualties.
State media footage showed one of the buses engulfed in flames, with wreckage scattered across the highway as emergency responders attended to victims.
Authorities have not yet announced the cause of the collision.
The tragedy follows another fatal accident earlier this month in Daraa Province, where five people, most of them Lebanese pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia, were killed after a bus overturned. Local authorities suggested speeding may have contributed to that crash.
Syria has witnessed several deadly road accidents in recent years as years of conflict and inadequate maintenance have left much of the country’s transport infrastructure in poor condition.
Last year, at least 12 people were killed when a passenger bus collided with an oil tanker in northeastern Syria.
Authorities are expected to release additional information as investigations into the latest crash continue.
