Bus Tragedy: A Child’s Image Before His Mother’s Corpse Shakes Syrians - Sarmad

A photo of a child standing before his mother’s body, who died in a collision between two buses on the Damascus–Deir ez-Zor highway, sparked widespread reaction on social media, as the incident’s repercussions continue to weigh on public opinion.

The crash occurred when a bus belonging to the Syrian Ministry of Interior collided with a civilian bus on the same road, resulting in the deaths of 35 people and injuring others, according to preliminary figures. Users circulated the image of the child, taken at the crash site, showing him standing near his mother’s body among the victims, a scene that drew attention and renewed focus on the scale of human losses caused by the accident.

Photos and videos circulating online depicted a state of confusion at the collision site, with emergency medical and civil defense teams working to transport the injured and remove the bodies. The footage also documented the presence of numerous relatives of the victims at the scene, amid shock and grief.

For his part, Syrian Interior Minister Anas al-Khatib commented on the incident, saying, “There is no greater pain than losing sons who were on their way to perform their duties, and having innocent civilians share their fate,” referring to the casualties among ministry bus staff as well as civilians.