DAMASCUS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least four people, including two children, have been reported dead amid heavy rainfall and flash floods across several Syrian provinces, while hundreds of families have been forced to leave displacement camps, local media and authorities said Thursday.
Syrian state-run newspaper Al-Thawra reported that two children drowned in separate incidents in the northern province of Raqqa and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.
Another man, identified as Ali al-Salem, died after being swept away by floodwaters in the al-Buassi area west of Raqqa's Tabqa city, according to the report.
Syria's emergency and disaster management authorities also reported one death in a traffic accident in western Raqqa countryside.
Meanwhile, emergency teams had evacuated about 375 families from three flood-affected displacement camps in Raqqa countryside and rescued 15 civilians trapped in vehicles, according to state news agency SANA.
Floodwaters rendered seven bridges, culverts and unpaved roads unusable, and emergency crews pumped water from more than 150 homes and public facilities, including hospitals, schools and bakeries, according to the emergency and disaster management authorities.
In Kasrat Surour, the collapse of an earthen drainage crossing left more than 100 families surrounded by floodwaters, prompting emergency rescue operations.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, also reported extensive flooding in displacement camps, including Washokani and al-Talae in northeastern Hasakah province, where dozens of tents were inundated and families lost bedding, blankets and food supplies.
The Observatory said floodwaters disrupted traffic on several roads, including sections of the Aleppo-Raqqa highway, while heavy rainfall damaged homes and temporary shelters in other parts of northern Syria.
Education authorities suspended classes Thursday in public and private schools across Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir al-Zour as the severe weather continued.
Emergency teams remained deployed in affected areas, with authorities warning residents to avoid flood-prone areas and waterways. ■
