Iraq announces the outcome of "Syria accident" and vows to prosecute and punish the perpetrator

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the outcome of the traffic accident that took place to Iraqi visitors in Syria, noting that the Iraqi embassy in Damascus is following up with the official authorities in Syria the investigations procedures to establish the right to prosecute and punish the perpetrator of the accident.

In a statement received by Shafaq News, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed with great interest the details of the tragic traffic accident to Iraqi tourists on the outskirts of Damascus, which caused the death of 18, and the injury of 19 of them are now lying in two hospitals in Damascus." He pointed out that "Foreign Minister Muhammad Ali al-Hakim directed as soon as the ministry received the news of this incident, our embassy in Damascus to follow up on the incident, and direct intervention in providing urgent assistance to them."

Al-Sahaf explained that "the embassy formed a team, made contacts with the competent Syrian authorities to find out the circumstances of the accident, and transported the injured people to hospitals, to preserve the bodies, the coffins, and transport them by plane transported to Baghdad at the expense of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Al-Sahaf pointed out that "the embassy is currently following up with the relevant official authorities in Syria the conduct of investigations, issuing final reports in this regard to punishing the perpetrator, as well as issuing death certificates to victims."

Security sources indicated on Sunday, that a bus carrying Iraqi visitors heading to visit Zainab Bint Ali Ibn Abi Talib in Syria was subjected to a traffic accident after it clashed with a tank inside the Syrian territories, killing 12 people and injuring 30 others, as a preliminary outcome.