Bridge collision on Euphrates kills two children in Syria

A ferry carrying more than 35 people struck a bridge over the Euphrates River in Deir al-Zor, killing at least two children and throwing everyone on board into the water. Syrian Civil Defence crews brought more than 15 people to safety as search and rescue teams kept working for others still missing.

The cause of the collision was not immediately clear. The accident unfolded on a river crossing in eastern Syria where roads and bridges have been weakened by years of war, flooding and repeated disruption to transport routes that families rely on for daily movement, medical care and supplies.

Deir al-Zor sits on one of Syria’s most important waterways and has long depended on river transport when formal crossings fail. In January, footage from the Deir al-Zor countryside showed a damaged bridge under repair, with the crossing linking the two banks of the Euphrates. Osama Arbo, the Syrian Civil Defence operations chief in Deir al-Zor, said crews had been moving medical cases, humanitarian cases and families by boat because there were no crossings and the bridge had collapsed.

In late May and June, Syria was dealing with severe flooding and rapidly rising water levels along the Euphrates, especially in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates. UNICEF: The river level had receded but still remained at concern-level flow across Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor and Raqqa.

In communities where bridges are broken or absent, ferries and makeshift crossings often become the only practical way to move people across the river, including families with children and patients needing treatment.