Flash flooding triggered by torrential rain killed seven people and injured seven others in eastern Syria, authorities said on Oct. 30. Five of those killed were children, according to a Reuters report published by Al-Monitor.
Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed al-Saleh said four people were still missing and rescue teams were searching inundated areas. The children drowned in pools left by the floods, he said. Another person died in a traffic accident; he did not explain the circumstances of the seventh death.
The storms disrupted communities across Raqqa, Deir al-Zor and Hasakah provinces, as well as parts of Aleppo. Floodwater damaged infrastructure, blocked roads and drove families from their homes.
Emergency crews evacuated more than 350 students from two schools and assisted 375 families leaving camps in Raqqa province. Teams also dealt with flooded camps in rural Aleppo and Idlib.
Saleh said civil defence teams had rescued 60 people trapped by floodwater. Since the storms began, they had undertaken more than 550 emergency operations and responded to over 900 distress calls.
In Deir al-Zor, damage to roads and telecommunications infrastructure interrupted travel and communications, state news agency SANA reported. Authorities had suspended classes in Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir al-Zor on Oct. 29.