Sarmada Blast Kills 14 in Syria, 11 Injured

At least 14 people were killed and 11 others wounded on Wednesday in an explosion at a weapons warehouse near Sarmada in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, according to state media citing the Health Ministry.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. The warehouse was used to store weapons and munitions left over from Syria’s uprising and civil war from 2011 to 2024, the state-run SANA news agency reported, citing the Defence Ministry.

The Defence Ministry said the weapons and remnants of war were being stored temporarily at the site before being transferred elsewhere. Some Defence Ministry personnel were among those injured in the explosion, according to reports.

Civil Defence and Syrian Red Crescent teams were deployed to the site and continued searching for survivors who may have been trapped under the rubble. An Associated Press photographer at the scene saw bodies being recovered.

The explosion sent a large plume of black smoke into the air, while smaller explosions were heard following the initial blast. Fires and secondary detonations at the site complicated efforts by emergency teams to respond to the incident.

Authorities and rescue teams continued operations at the site as the casualty figure remained preliminary. The Idlib Health Ministry reported 14 deaths and 11 injuries following the blast.

The incident occurred days after another ammunition-related explosion in Idlib province. On September 1, a vehicle carrying ammunition exploded in Binnish, killing at least five people and injuring others, according to Syrian state media.

The explosion occurred as authorities continued dealing with weapons and munitions left from Syria’s prolonged conflict. The warehouse near Sarmada was being used as a temporary storage facility for weapons and war remnants, according to the Defence Ministry.

Officials have not provided further details about what caused the explosion or the circumstances leading to the blast. Rescue personnel remained at the site to search the debris and assess the situation following the explosions.