At least six people, primarily children, drowned on Thursday when a school bus plunged into the Orontes River near Darkush, northwest Syria, according to emergency responders.
The bus, carrying dozens of children, veered off the road and fell into the river, the White Helmets, a local civil defense organization, reported.
Rescue teams are currently searching for survivors along the cliffside and in the river.
The cause of the accident remains unclear, and images from the scene show rescue workers navigating steep terrain and boulders along the riverbed.
This tragic incident adds to the woes of an area already devastated by Syria’s prolonged civil war and the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and northern Syria last year.
The majority of the 5.1 million residents in opposition-controlled northwest Syria have been displaced multiple times due to the conflict and rely heavily on humanitarian aid.
