Three women dead in Syria's Al-Hol refugee camp after water tanker 'reverses into tent'

Three women were killed and one man severely injured when a water tanker reportedly reversed into their tent at Al-Hol camp in northern Syria, according to local media on Monday.

"[We] can confirm that the tragic accident occurred while a contractor was implementing water and sanitation programming," a representative from the humanitarian organisation providing water in this section of the camp told The New Arab. "We are carefully examining the context of the accident and next steps, including how best to support those impacted by the tragedy."

Al-Hol is witnessing a dire humanitarian and security situation in the camp with violence rife and shortages of basic goods as winter sets in.

In a separate incident, a fire broke out in the camp on Monday and burned down several tents, with no reported casualties.

Accidental fires are a common occurrence in displacement camps across Syria. They are linked to the prevalence of fuel heaters and burners, which are prone to explode inside easily flammable tents. Four children and a woman were killed in a similar fire at the camp in February.

Al-Hol is home to around 60,000 people, more than half of them children under the age of 12. NGOs have deplored living conditions there. 

The overcrowded camp is run by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration which runs northeast Syria.

Al-Hol has been plagued with rampant violence and a spate of killings since the start of the year, notably linked to the presence of Islamic State group sympathisers in the camp. Breakout attempts, attacks on guards, aid workers, and members of displaced families are common.

At least three camp residents were killed by gunmen earlier this month.

A massive security sweep of the camp in March led to the arrest of more than 100 suspected IS sympathisers.