Damascus, Feb. 9 (SANA) Heavy rainfall triggered sudden flooding across parts of Lattakia, Idleb and Hama provinces over the weekend, leaving at least two children dead, damaging homes and displacement camps, and prompting large-scale rescue and relief operations by Syria’s Civil Defense and emergency authorities.
The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said in a report on its Telegram channel the floods caused severe humanitarian conditions in several areas, including damage to civilian communities and 22 displacement camps west of Idleb. Civil defense teams responded immediately to distress calls, rescuing people trapped by rising waters and evacuating patients and displaced families from high-risk locations.
In the Lattakia countryside, two children were killed after being swept away by floodwaters in a rugged valley in the Jabal al-Turkman area. Civil defense teams rescued a child and a young man and recovered the bodies of the two victims. Authorities said the area is mountainous and not home to displacement camps.
A volunteer from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was also killed and six others injured, including five volunteers, when a Red Crescent vehicle slid into a valley in Jabal al-Turkman while heading to assist residents affected by the floods. Civil defense teams rescued the injured and transferred them to the university hospital in Lattakia.
Officials said flooding affected at least 30 homes in Sheikh Hassan in the Lattakia countryside and 47 homes in Idleb province. More than 650 families suffered complete damage to their homes, while over 1,300 families reported partial damage. In Idleb, floodwaters also inundated Ain al-Bayda Hospital in the Kherbat al-Jouz area, forcing the evacuation of patients, medical staff and neonatal incubators.
Civil defense operations focused on search and rescue, draining floodwaters and reopening roads closed by rising water levels. More than 28 main and secondary roads were reopened as heavy machinery and emergency teams were deployed from affected areas and neighboring regions to prevent further damage.
Relief efforts included the establishment of seven temporary shelters in schools in western Idleb countryside to accommodate families displaced by the floods. Emergency aid was distributed to affected households, and medical teams provided urgent care to residents impacted by the flooding.
The Ministry said response teams remain on alert as operations continue, warning that weather conditions could still pose risks in vulnerable areas.
R.H
