Rainstorm  in Lattakia kills a fisherman, injures several civilians, causes massive damage

The rainstorm that hit the Syrian coastal area this dawn led to the death of a fisherman and caused damage to a number of fishing boats as well as tourist facilities near the sea, according to the General Directorate of Ports.

In a statement to SANA, Director of Ports Samer Qubresli said that a person was found dead early this morning at the shore of Ras  Ibn Hani site in Lattakia after his boat had sunk. Two other fishermen were saved.

He clarified that a boat with 6 sailors on board sank in Lattakia port area because of the storm. The sailors were saved, but massive damage was caused to tourist and camping facilities on the shore of Wadi Qandil and Ras Al-Basit areas, he said.

The rainstorm also caused injures to several citizens and damaged some public and private properties.

The injured persons were taken to the hospital for medical treatment and now they are in a good condition.

The damage affected electricity and telephone networks, light poles, cars and trees and led to the closure of some roads.

Maintenance workshops continue to work tirelessly to fix the damage and restore basic services.

Secretary of Lattakia Governorate Rif’ast Mohammad estimated that the storm had a wind speed of 135 km/h.

Hamda Mustafa