OMM Redaksiyası
A powerful explosion occurred at a temporary weapons storage facility near the city of Sarmada in Syria's northern Idlib province, Syrian officials said. The blast killed 14 people and injured 11 others.
Weapons and remnants of war collected from conflict zones were being stored at the site until they could be transferred elsewhere. Syria's Ministry of Defense said all those killed were ministry employees. Security personnel and civilians living nearby were among the injured.
The explosion sparked a major fire in the area, with clouds of smoke visible from nearby settlements. Civil defense teams and firefighters were dispatched to the scene, but secondary explosions that continued for several hours hampered rescue operations.
Security forces closed roads leading to the area to prevent people from approaching the danger zone and to facilitate the work of rescuers. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Search teams examined the site amid concerns that additional victims could be trapped under the rubble.
Syrian authorities launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. The Ministry of Defense said it had assumed control of the site and would provide full support for the investigation.
This was the second deadly weapons-related incident in Idlib province this month. Earlier in the month, five people were killed and several others injured when a vehicle carrying ammunition exploded in the city of Binnish.
Idlib, in northwestern Syria, has remained affected by the legacy of years of armed conflict, including unexploded ordnance and stockpiles of weapons left in areas formerly controlled by different armed groups. Such hazards continue to pose risks to both security personnel and civilians during clearance and relocation operations.
