DAMASCUS, March 8, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – At least 32 people died Saturday after
a fuel tanker crashed into two buses and several other vehicles on a road
connecting the Syrian capital to Homs province, state media reported.
A break failure caused the tanker to crash into 15 vehicles and two large
busses carrying several Iraqi passengers, said Interior Minister Mohammad
Khaled al-Rahmoun, while inspecting the site of the accident outside
Damascus.
Another 77 people were injured in the accident, he added, in comments
carried by SANA.
Footage aired on state media showed rescue teams deployed around the
mangled remains of two cars.
SANA released photos of a passenger bus with one end blown off.
Victims of the crash are believed to include Shiite Iraqi pilgrims
visiting holy shrines near the capital.
Holy sites in Syria continue to be popular among Shiite pilgrims from
across the region, despite an eight-year war that has displaced millions.