Blast in Syria’s Idlib kills, injures 14

IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The death toll on Wednesday from an explosion at a temporary arms depot near the city of Sarmada in Idlib northern countryside, northwestern Syria, rose to four, while 10 others sustained injuries, the Idlib Health Directorate said.

Subhi Assaf, spokesperson for the Health Directorate’s media office, told North Press that the blast left four people dead and 10 others with injuries ranging from mild to moderate.

“Rescue teams are still continuing search operations for missing people under the rubble,” Assaf added.

Earlier on Wednesday, a government source told North Press that an explosion had struck a temporary depot used to collect weapons and remnants of war before they were transferred elsewhere, killing three people and injuring 10 others.

The Media and Communication Directorate of the Syrian Ministry of Defense later confirmed that the explosion occurred at a temporary storage facility near Sarmada designated for collecting weapons and unexploded remnants of war before their transfer.

The ministry said several of its personnel were among those injured in the blast.

“Our units, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to secure the site of the incident,” the ministry said.

The circumstances surrounding the explosion were not immediately clear, and authorities did not provide details on what caused the blast.

Search and rescue operations remained underway as emergency teams worked at the site, amid concerns that additional people could still be trapped beneath the rubble.

The incident highlights the continuing dangers posed by weapons stockpiles and explosive remnants of war in Syria, where years of conflict have left large quantities of unexploded ordnance and abandoned military equipment across the country.

By Malin Mohammed