Syrian group: Death toll in blast in rebel town rises to 67

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian search-and-rescue group says the death toll from an explosion that destroyed two apartment buildings in a rebel-held town in the country's northwest the previous day has risen to 67.

The Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, says rescuers were still searching through the rubble in Sarmada on Monday, looking for survivors from the blast. It says 35 wounded people have already been found.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a slightly higher death toll, saying 69 died, including 17 children. The Observatory says 52 of the victims were civilians; the rest were militants or couldn't be identified.

The Observatory said an arms depot in the basement of a building had detonated, bringing down two five-story apartment buildings. The report could not be independently confirmed.</s>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The number of people killed when an explosion ripped through a building thought to be storing weapons in rebel-held northwestern Syria has climbed to 69 including 17 children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday.

The explosion happened in a residential building in the town of Sarmada in Idlib province near the Turkish border on Sunday. Idlib forms part of the last major rebel stronghold in Syria.</s>Syrian group: Death toll in blast in rebel town rises to 67

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian search-and-rescue group says the death toll from an explosion that destroyed two apartment buildings in a rebel-held town in the country's northwest the previous day has risen to 67.

The Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, says rescuers were still searching through the rubble in Sarmada on Monday, looking for survivors from the blast. It says 35 wounded people have already been found.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a slightly higher death toll, saying 69 died, including 17 children. The Observatory says 52 of the victims were civilians; the rest were militants or couldn't be identified.

The Observatory said an arms depot in the basement of a building had detonated, bringing down two five-story apartment buildings. The report could not be independently confirmed.</s>Syrian group: Death toll in blast in rebel town rises to 67

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian search-and-rescue group says the death toll from an explosion that destroyed two apartment buildings in a rebel-held town in the country's northwest the previous day has risen to 67.

The Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, says rescuers were still searching through the rubble in Sarmada on Monday, looking for survivors from the blast. It says 35 wounded people have already been found.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a slightly higher death toll, saying 69 died, including 17 children. The Observatory says 52 of the victims were civilians; the rest were militants or couldn't be identified.

The Observatory said an arms depot in the basement of a building had detonated, bringing down two five-story apartment buildings. The report could not be independently confirmed.</s>Beirut: An explosion at a weapons depot in a rebel-held town in northwest Syria killed at least 39 civilians including a dozen children Sunday, a monitor said.

An AFP correspondent at the site in Sarmada in Idlib province near the Turkish border said the explosion of unknown origin caused two buildings to collapse.

"Rescue workers used a bulldozer to remove rubble and extract trapped people," the correspondent said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, said a previous toll of 12 civilians killed increased after more bodies were retrieved from the rubble.

"The explosion occurred in a weapons depot in a residential building in Sarmada," said the head of the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

"But the cause of the blast was not yet clear", Abdel Rahman added.

He said most of those killed were family members of fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by jihadists from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, who had been displaced to the area from the central province of Homs.

"A rescue worker carried the motionless body of a small child from the wreckage to an ambulance," the AFP correspondent said.

Behind mounds of rubble, the facade of a building was scorched black, due to a fire after the blast.

A civil defence source told AFP that women and children were among the dead.

"But rescue workers had pulled out five people who were still alive", the source said.

Most of Idlib is controlled by rebels and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but the Islamic State (IS) group also has sleeper cells in the area. The regime holds a small slither of southeastern Idlib.

In recent months, a series of explosions and assassinations - mainly targeting rebel officials and fighters - have rocked the province.

While some attacks have been claimed by IS, most are the result of infighting since 2018 between other groups.

In recent days, regime forces have ramped up their deadly bombardment of southern Idlib and sent reinforcements to nearby areas they control.

President Bashar al-Assad has warned that government forces intend to retake Idlib, after his Russia-backed regime regained control of swathes of rebel-held territory elsewhere.

Around 2.5 million people live in the province, half of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country.

More than 350,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria's civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.</s>The toll in the explosion at a weapons depot in northwestern Syria has risen to 69, mostly civilians including 17 children, a monitor said on Monday as search operations continued. Sunday's blast of unknown origin in the town of Sarmada in Idlib province took the lives of 52 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The explosion also killed 17 members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist-led alliance, according to the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. "Rescue operations are still ongoing," observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, more than 24 hours after the blast at the depot inside a residential building.

Most of the civilians killed were family members of HTS fighters displaced to the area from the central province of Homs, he said. HTS controls more than half of Idlib province and is led by jihadists from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Most of the rest is held by rebels, while the regime also holds a slither of the province's southeast.

The Islamic State jihadist group also has sleeper cells in the area.

In recent months, a series of explosions and assassinations — mainly targeting rebel officials and fighters — have rocked the province. While some attacks have been claimed by IS, most are the result of infighting since last year between other groups.

Regime forces have in the past week ramped up their deadly bombardment of southern Idlib and sent reinforcements to nearby areas they control.

President Bashar al-Assad has warned that government forces intend to retake control of Idlib, after his Russia-backed regime regained chunks of territory from rebels and jihadists in other parts of Syria.

Around 2.5 million people live in the province, half of them displaced by fighting in other regions of the country. More than 3,50,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria's civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.</s>An explosion of unknown origin at a weapons depot Sunday in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib killed at least 69 civilians including 17 children, in addition to scores of injuries.

Mustafa Hajj Yusuf, the head of Idlib Civil Defense, earlier acknowledged the death toll at least as 39 dead and 45 injured. He later told Anadolu Agency that search and rescue operation was concluded as of Monday morning and 17 civilians, mostly women and children, were pulled under the rubble. The number of the injured stands at 50.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the casualty toll on Monday.

An AFP correspondent at the site in the opposition-held town of Sarmada near the Turkish border said the explosion caused two buildings to collapse.

On Sunday morning, rescue workers used a bulldozer to remove rubble and extract trapped people, the correspondent said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, earlier said the death toll could rise as dozens were still missing.

"The explosion occurred in a weapons depot in a residential building in Sarmada," the head of the Britain based monitor said. But the cause of the blast was "not yet clear", Abdel Rahman added.

A rescue worker carried the motionless body of a small child from the wreckage to an ambulance, the AFP correspondent said.

Behind mounds of rubble, the facade of a building was scorched black, due to a fire after the blast.

A civil defense source told AFP that women and children were among the dead.

But rescue workers had pulled out "five people who were still alive", the source said.

Most of Idlib is controlled by Turkish backed opposition fighters, while parts of it are controlled by terrorist groups led by al-Qaida linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but the Daesh terror group also has sleeper cells in the area.

In recent months, a series of explosions and assassinations -- mainly targeting opposition officials and fighters -- have rocked the province.

While some attacks have been claimed by Daesh, most are the result of infighting since last year between various other groups.

In recent days, regime forces have ramped up their deadly bombardment of southern Idlib and sent reinforcements to nearby areas they control.

Bashar al-Assad has warned that regime forces intend to retake Idlib, after his regime regained control of swathes of opposition held territory elsewhere.

Around 2.5 million people live in the province, half of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country.

More than 350,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria's civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.</s>An explosion at a weapons depot in a rebel-held town in northwest Syria killed at least 39 civilians including a dozen children Sunday, a monitor said.

The explosion happened in the town of Sarmada, which is near the Turkish border and north of the provincial capital Idlib city.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said a previous death toll of 12 increased after more bodies were retrieved from the rubble.

But the cause of the blast was "not yet clear", Mr Abdel Rahman added.

He said most of those killed were family members of fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an alliance led by jihadists from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, who had been displaced to the area from the central province of Homs.

A civil defence source told AFP news agency that women and children were among the dead. But rescue workers had pulled out "five people who were still alive", the source said.</s>An explosion at a weapons depot in a rebel-held town in north-west Syria killed at least 39 civilians, including a dozen children, according to reports.

Rescue workers used bulldozers to remove rubble and extract people trapped in the two buildings flattened by the explosion in Sarmada in Idlib province on Sunday.

A civil defence source told AFP that rescue workers had pulled out “five people who were still alive”.

But the death toll rose as more bodies were retrieved from the rubble, according to Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Three members of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were also killed, he said.

“The explosion occurred in a weapons depot in a residential building in Sarmada,” said Abdel Rahman, whose group relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

The cause of the blast was “not yet clear”, he added.

Most of those killed were family members of fighters from HTS, an alliance led by jihadists from Syria’s former al-Qaida affiliate, who had been displaced to the area from the central province of Homs.

A rescue worker carried the motionless body of a small child from the wreckage to an ambulance, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

White Helmet rescue workers attempted to lift part of a floor of one of the buildings with a tall crane, as three young boys watched on in silence, perched on a rock.

Behind mounds of rubble, the facade of a building was scorched black, due to a fire after the blast.

Most of Idlib is controlled by rebels and HTS, but the Islamic State jihadist group also has sleeper cells in the area.



In recent months, a series of explosions and assassinations – mainly targeting rebel officials and fighters – have rocked the province.

While some attacks have been claimed by IS, most are the result of infighting since last year between other groups.

Regime forces have since last week ramped up their deadly bombardment of southern Idlib and sent reinforcements to nearby areas they control.

On Friday, 12 civilians, three of them children, were killed in regime bombardment of the towns of Khan Sheikhun and al-Tah.

Assad has warned that government forces intend to retake Idlib, after his Russia-backed regime regained control of large parts of rebel-held territory in other parts of Syria.

On Thursday, government helicopters dropped leaflets over towns in the eastern part of Idlib urging people to surrender.

The United Nations appealed the same day for talks to avert “a civilian bloodbath” in the province.

Jan Egeland, head of the UN’s humanitarian taskforce for Syria, said: “The war cannot be allowed to go to Idlib.”

Around 2.5 million people live in the province, half of them displaced by fighting in other regions of the country.

More than 350,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria’s civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.</s>By AFP - Aug 13,2018 - Last updated at Aug 13,2018

Destroyed buildings are seen on Sunday following an explosion at an arms depot in a residential area in Syria's northern Idlib province city of Sarmada, in which 12 people were reportedly killed (AFP photo)

BEIRUT — An explosion at a weapons depot in a rebel-held town in northwest Syria killed at least 39 civilians including a dozen children on Sunday, a monitor said.

An AFP correspondent at the site in Sarmada in Idlib province near the Turkish border said the explosion of unknown origin caused two buildings to collapse.

Rescue workers used a bulldozer to remove rubble and extract trapped people, the correspondent said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, said a previous toll of 12 civilians killed increased after more bodies were retrieved from the rubble.

"The explosion occurred in a weapons depot in a residential building in Sarmada," said the head of the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

But the cause of the blast was "not yet clear", Abdel Rahman added.

He said most of those killed were family members of fighters from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an alliance led by extremists from Syria's former Al Qaeda affiliate, who had been displaced to the area from the central province of Homs.

A rescue worker carried the motionless body of a small child from the wreckage to an ambulance, the AFP correspondent said.

White Helmet rescue workers attempted to lift part of a floor of one of the buildings with a tall crane. Nearby, three young boys watched on in silence, perched on a rock.

Behind mounds of rubble, the facade of a building was scorched black, due to a fire after the blast.

A civil defence source told AFP that women and children were among the dead.

But rescue workers had pulled out “five people who were still alive”, the source said.

Most of Idlib is controlled by rebels and Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, but Daesh also has sleeper cells in the area.

In recent months, a series of explosions and assassinations — mainly targeting rebel officials and fighters — have rocked the province.

While some attacks have been claimed by Daesh, most are the result of infighting since last year between other groups.

In recent days, regime forces have ramped up their deadly bombardment of southern Idlib and sent reinforcements to nearby areas they control.

On Friday, 12 civilians, three of them children, were killed in regime bombardment of the towns of Khan Sheikhun and Al Tah.

President Bashar Assad has warned that government forces intend to retake Idlib, after his Russia-backed regime regained control of swathes of rebel-held territory elsewhere.

On Thursday, government helicopters dropped leaflets over towns in Idlib’s eastern countryside urging people to surrender.

The United Nations appealed the same day for talks to avert “a civilian bloodbath” in the province.

Jan Egeland, head of the UN’s humanitarian taskforce for Syria, said: “The war cannot be allowed to go to Idlib”.

Around 2.5 million people live in the province, half of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country.

More than 350,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria’s civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
A report by the SOHR says that the explosion of an arms depot in Sarmada, Idlib Governorate, Syria, kills at least 69 people, including 17 children. The cause of the blast is "not yet clear". Most of the victims were reportedly family members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants.