Two people were killed and 13 others wounded when an explosive device detonated aboard a passenger minibus in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, Syrian state media has reported.
State-run Al-Ikhbariya TV initially reported the device exploded inside the minibus, killing and injuring several people on Thursday, but provided no further details about the circumstances of the blast.
The Syrian interior ministry and security authorities had not issued an official statement at the time of publication, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.
Syria’s state news agency SANA later cited the health ministry’s Referral, Ambulance and Emergency Directorate as saying that two people were killed and 13 others injured in the explosion.
Earlier, Najib al-Naasan, director of the Health Ministry directorate, said forensic teams were handling human remains found at the scene in accordance with established procedures.
High alert
He said nearby hospitals and emergency departments had been placed on high alert, while ambulances and medical teams were mobilised to transport the injured to medical facilities for treatment.
SANA said ambulances, Interior Ministry forensic teams, Civil Defence personnel and Syrian Arab Red Crescent crews continued working at the scene. The damaged minibus was being removed by crane so technical examinations and the investigation could proceed.
Images and videos circulating on social media showed the heavily damaged minibus, with debris scattered across the road and in front of nearby residential buildings.
The cause of the explosion remained unclear. Al-Ikhbariya TV noted that the blast occurred in the multi-ethnic city of Jaramana shortly after local sheikhs and community leaders issued a statement reaffirming Syria’s unity and rejecting calls that could undermine civil peace.
