Road crash in Syria kills 22, including Iraqi pilgrims

At least 22 people have died after a fuel tanker crashed into two buses and several other vehicles on a road connecting the Syrian capital to Homs province, state media reported.

A break failure caused the tanker to crash into 15 vehicles and two large buses carrying several Iraqi passengers, said Interior Minister Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun, while inspecting the site of the accident outside Damascus.

According to Press TV, he added another 70 people were injured in the accident.

He noted that the final number of victims is not clear yet, as civil defense members are still removing the damaged vehicles from the site.

Footage aired on state media showed rescue teams deployed around the mangled remains of two cars.

SANA released photos of the passenger bus with one of its end blown off.

Victims of the crash are believed to include Iraqi Shia pilgrims visiting holy shrines near the capital.

Holy sites in Syria have remained popular among Shia pilgrims from across the region despite an eight-year war that has displaced millions. 

ME