Huge Plume Rises, Smoke Fills Sky After Deadly Explosion In Syria
A powerful explosion in Idlib, Syria, killed at least two and injured over 70. Fires and panic ensued near Maarrat Misrin.
A powerful explosion tore through the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 70, according to state news agency SANA. The blast occurred near the town of Maarrat Misrin, sending a towering plume into the sky and triggering widespread panic in nearby villages, including al-Foua.
Syrian state broadcaster Ikhbariya reported that fires broke out in the area as ambulances and civil defence teams rushed to the site. Raed Al-Saleh, Syria's minister for emergency and disaster management, said teams were carrying out evacuation and rescue operations despite ongoing secondary blasts that were complicating the response.
'No final toll of casualties has been confirmed," Al-Saleh posted on X, urging residents to avoid the area as teams continued working under dangerous and complex conditions.
Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu put the death toll at five, reporting that around 15 explosions occurred at an arms depot in the town of Kafriya, damaging nearby buildings and injuring at least 63 others.
The Emergency Operations Directorate in Idlib also confirmed casualties from the still-unexplained explosion. While the cause remains unclear, private broadcaster Syria TV suggested it may have originated from an ammunition depot.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added that unidentified aircraft were flying over the region at the time of the blast, though there has been no official confirmation of an airstrike.
Syria TV reported that 'war remnants and ammunition" had exploded at the site, triggering a series of deadly blasts. The channel's correspondent said several people may have been trapped under the rubble.
'The area witnessed successive explosions as a result of the detonation of war remnants and munitions present at the site," the broadcaster said.
There was no immediate indication that the Idlib blast was connected to recent deadly fighting in Syria's southern Sweida province, where violent clashes between pro-government forces and local militias have left hundreds dead in recent weeks.
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