MSF teams responded over the weekend to a mass casualty incident after a car exploded late on Friday near Al-Hasakah, in north-east Syria, killing and injuring people fleeing the fighting in Deir ez-Zor.

Fifty-two patients made it to the hospital supported by MSF; three were in a very critical condition.

One patient told MSF staff: "I was travelling with my family and with lots of people in a truck. We fled Deir ez-Zor because of the war and I was on my way to Al-Hasakah. We arrived at a check point near RojavaRojava is a term used by some Kurds to denote the north-east region of Syria., and there a car exploded. I lost two of my brothers, and I was brought here to the hospital with my two sons.’’

Satoru Ida, MSF Head of Mission in Syria said: "The ongoing fighting in Syria continues to claim innocent people’s lives. We suspect many people died before making it to the hospital due to the restrictions on movement in the area."