ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least two children have died after a makeshift ferry collided with a bridge in the Euphrates River in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, Syrian civil defense authorities announced on Sunday.
Civil defense teams have thus far rescued 15 of the 35 people who were on deck, the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said on X. The two children confirmed dead were siblings.
“Everyone on board fell into the river waters,” their statement read, as “search and rescue operations for the missing at the accident site” is ongoing in cooperation with the defense ministry and local residents.
Cited by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Deir ez-Zor’s main hospital confirmed its reception of the bodies of two children, saying that one was three and the other 13 years old. It also reported providing medical care to 12 survivors, including two children.
Left without power, the ferry was caught in the river’s strong current and drifted downstream, colliding violently with a military pontoon bridge locally known as the “war bridge.” The impact capsized and sank the ferry.
Residents of Deir ez-Zor face severe difficulties traveling between the two banks of the Euphrates due to the damage and decommissioning of several bridges, SANA reported.
In the months leading up to July, the Euphrates River has experienced a significant rise in water levels, which triggered localized flooding across Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.
A rise in tide levels, caused by the sudden release of water from upstream Turkey, has placed massive pressure on regional infrastructure, damaging or completely decimating bridges and river crossings in the area.
Turkey operates 14 dams impacting the Euphrates, which runs approximately 710 km through Syria. Ataturk dam reservoir in Turkey alone has the capacity to hold the entire annual discharge of the Euphrates river.
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