Four children among five killed as flash floods hit Syria

Five people died, including four children, in flash floods that struck northern and eastern Syria, according to the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. The children's tragic drowning occurred in two separate incidents in rural Raqqa province, while another fatality was reported in Deir Ezzor. An adult also perished in Raqqa.

Civil Defense personnel have managed to rescue 25 individuals trapped by floodwaters or stranded in vehicles. However, five people are still missing following the devastating floods that first hit northern and eastern regions of the country on Wednesday.

The heavy rain and floods caused a bridge collapse in Raqqa, severing a road that connected the area to neighboring Aleppo, as reported by state news agency Sana. Footage circulated online showed a military helicopter rescuing several people from a stranded vehicle in Deir Ezzor.

The ministry also revealed that 375 families were evacuated from flooded displacement camps in rural Raqqa. Syria's infrastructure, already weakened by the ongoing civil war that began in 2011, is especially vulnerable to the effects of heavy winter rain. Despite the war officially ending in December 2024, many Syrians remain displaced, and the government, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, has been striving to rebuild and attract outside investment.