At least 14 people were killed and 11 wounded Wednesday when an explosion ripped through a temporary storage for weapons and war remnants in the northwestern province of Idlib, the state television reported.
The warehouse was used to store weapons and munitions left over from the country's uprising and civil war from 2011 until 2024, the Defense Ministry said, without providing further details.
The ministry added that the weapons were being stored at the site before being transported elsewhere and that some of its personnel were among those wounded.
Civil Defense and firefighting teams were deployed to the scene, but successive explosions hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze as thick smoke billowed from the site for hours.
Video footage widely circulated after the blast showed a large plume of black smoke, while the sounds of smaller explosions could be heard.
Subhi Assaf, director of the media office at the Idlib Health Directorate, confirmed the preliminary death toll, adding that the injuries ranged from minor to moderate.
Syrian state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported that internal security forces closed roads leading to the site "to ensure the safety of civilians."
Such incidents are a relatively common occurrence in the country, which has been battered by over a decade of war.
Earlier on Sept. 1, a vehicle carrying ammunition exploded in Binnish, also in Idlib province, killing five people and wounding others, according to Syrian state media.
