7 Dead After Bus Falls into River in Syria

At least 7 people have been killed and several others injured or missing following the plunge of a bus carrying children into the Al-Assi River near the town of Darkoush in western rural Idlib, northwestern Syria, on Thursday.

The Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) stated that the incident resulted in the death of 7 individuals, including children, and the injury of 20, most of whom were also children, in a preliminary toll.

Raed Saleh, the director of the Civil Defense, stated on the "X" platform, "Our teams are still conducting search operations in the waters of the Al-Assi River for the missing individuals."

The bus was carrying dozens of children who were studying at a Quran memorization institute, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local media.

Videos circulated on social media platforms showing rescue teams and volunteers swimming in the river in search of the missing individuals, while others transported the injured and the deceased bodies out of the water.

The cause of the bus veering off its path has not been immediately determined, while images from the scene showed steep rocks overlooking the riverbed.

This is the latest tragedy to hit the region, which has been severely affected by the ongoing war in Syria and the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Syria and Turkey last year.

Most of the population, estimated at 5.1 million people, living in northwestern Syria has been internally displaced, sometimes more than once, due to the war entering its fourteenth year, relying heavily on aid.