At least fourteen people were killed in an explosion at a temporary weapons and war remnants depot near Sarmada in Syria’s Idlib province, according to state television reports on Wednesday. The powerful blast also left eleven people injured, while thick black smoke billowed from the site for hours following the initial detonation. Citing the Syrian Defence Ministry, Reuters reported that several ministry personnel were among those who sustained injuries during the incident. Emergency rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the Burj al-Nimra village in the northern Idlib countryside following the disaster.
However, ongoing secondary explosions significantly hampered firefighting efforts, delaying rescue workers from subduing the roaring flames and searching for survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Associated Press photographers at the scene reported witnessing emergency personnel recovering bodies from the wreckage as rescue operations continued into the day. Authorities have not yet clarified the exact cause of the explosion, although accidental detonations involving remnants of war remain a frequent hazard in a country recovering from over a decade of intense civil conflict.
According to state news agency SANA citing the Defence Ministry, the destroyed facility was utilized to store munitions and weaponry accumulated during the Syrian uprising and subsequent civil war that spanned from twenty eleven to twenty twenty-four. Earlier on September first, a separate explosion involving an ammunition-laden vehicle in Binnish, also located in Idlib province, resulted in five fatalities and multiple injuries. The latest incidents underscore the persistent dangers posed by unexploded ordnance and improperly secured military stockpiles across war-affected regions.
