As many as 22 civilians lost their lives and 70 others got wounded on Saturday in an accident on the Damascus-Homs highway, state news agency SANA reported.

The accident happened when a fuel tanker hit two passenger buses and 15 other cars on the Damascus-Homs highway, said the report.

It said the accident took place near the Jisr Bagdad area between the capital Damascus and Homs province.

Citing Syria's Interior Minister Mohammad Rahmoun, the report said the civil defense units were removing the cars off of the road.

Rahmoun said the breaks of the fuel tanker were not working, which caused the accident.