At least 35 people were killed and 30 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses in Syria. The tragic accident occurred on a vital highway connecting the eastern part of the country to the capital, Damascus.

According to Al Jazeera, the crash took place on Saturday, July 25, along the Deir ez-Zor-Damascus highway. Spanning over 400 kilometers, the critical route links eastern Syria with Damascus.

The two buses collided head-on in an area between Al-Sukhnah and Palmyra.

The Syrian Ministry of the Interior reported that one of the buses was carrying internal security forces, while the other was transporting regular passengers.

Syrian state news agency SANA stated that ambulances were rushed to the scene immediately following the crash to rescue the injured.

Additionally, rescue teams dispatched emergency helicopters to swiftly transport casualties to the Homs Military Hospital.

The Deir ez-Zor-Damascus highway is well-known for its dilapidated condition and poor safety standards.

This accident is being seen as a tragic illustration of the severe degradation of Syria's civilian infrastructure and road networks caused by nearly 14 years of civil war.

According to previous data from the country's emergency management authorities, structural defects and reckless driving have made road accidents one of the leading causes of death in the nation.