Flash floods kill at least 3, displace hundreds in northwest Syria

ISTANBUL

Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least three people and displaced hundreds of families in northwest Syria, creating “difficult humanitarian conditions” across multiple areas, Alekhbariah TV reported, citing a Syrian ministry statement issued on Monday.

The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said several regions experienced sudden flooding from early Saturday through late Sunday night, damaging civilian communities and 22 displacement camps west of Idlib.

Two children were killed after being swept away by floodwaters in a rugged valley in the al-Assaliya and Ain Issa areas of the Turkman Mountain region in rural Latakia.

A volunteer with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was killed, and six others were injured, including five Red Crescent volunteers, in a traffic accident involving the team traveling to respond and provide assistance to residents affected by the floods in the Turkman Mountain area.

Floodwaters submerged 30 homes in the village of Sheikh Hassan in rural Latakia and 47 homes across Idlib province, the ministry added.

More than 650 families suffered destruction of their homes, while more than 1,300 families sustained partial damage.

The ministry said 22 displacement camps were affected in Idlib province.

Flooding forced the evacuation of patients, medical staff, and incubators from Ain al-Bayda Hospital after the facility was inundated in the Kharbat al-Jawz area west of Idlib.

Authorities established seven temporary shelters in schools in western Idlib to receive displaced families and distributed emergency relief supplies to 80 families at the al-Rahma School shelter and five families at the al-Ansar shelter, while providing urgent medical services to those affected, the ministry said.