Five Killed in Daraa Accident; Lebanese Health Minister Contacts Syrian Counterpart

Dr. Rakan Nasser Al-Din, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Health, made a phone call to his Syrian counterpart, Musab Nazzal Al-Ali, to follow up on the condition of Lebanese pilgrims returning from performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia. Their convoy overturned around 1 a.m. last night on the Daraa-Damascus international road in Syria, resulting in five fatalities and several injuries, according to an updated toll.

During the conversation between Ministers Nasser Al-Din and Al-Ali, coordination was established regarding relief efforts to transfer the victims and injured individuals back to Lebanon, the Public Health Ministry’s media office stated in a release.

Minister Nasser Al-Din also praised the prompt response of Syrian medical teams on the ground in treating the injured during the call.

The statement added that immediately after the accident occurred at night, and under direct instructions from Minister Nasser Al-Din, the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) contacted the emergency center of the Syrian Ministry of Health to monitor the transfer of the injured to hospitals in Daraa and Damascus for specialized medical care according to each case. The center continues to coordinate directly to receive the latest updates on the injured and provide any necessary support or follow-up for the Lebanese citizens involved.

As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Public Health announced the dispatch of a specialized medical delegation to Syria to visit the injured in hospitals, assess their health conditions, and identify their needs. This will facilitate the necessary arrangements for their transfer and continued treatment in Lebanese hospitals if medically required.

The Ministry extended its condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. It confirmed its commitment to exert all necessary and swift efforts to support the injured until their return to Lebanon, as well as to repatriate the bodies of the victims.