Explosions struck an army weapons depot near Al-Eis in Aleppo on Sept. 21, wounding four people and forcing nearby villagers to evacuate. The incident is the fourth depot blast in Syria this month and adds to a string of often unexplained detonations at military storage sites.
Authorities say they are investigating, emergency teams are clearing unexploded ordnance, and Reuters has recorded at least 16 similar blasts since December 2024.
Early on Sept. 21, a series of explosions ripped through an army weapons depot near Al-Eis in Aleppo province, injuring four people and sending villagers fleeing. The blasts, heard across nearby towns, represent the fourth similar incident in Syria this month.
State media cited the Emergency and Disaster Management Ministry as saying one of the wounded was struck by falling shrapnel. Rescue teams helped residents evacuate nearby homes while authorities closed roads leading to the site.
The Defence Ministry said it was investigating explosions at several military storage sites, including the most recent blast near al-Eis, and pledged to implement measures to prevent similar incidents.
"It was as if doomsday had come. It wasn't fear, it was terror ... A rocket is blind. You don't know where it will land," said Ahmed al-Ali, a resident of a nearby village, describing explosions that he said lasted about an hour.
Another resident, Sultan al-Hussein, said he fled with his family to a neighbouring village and later returned to find doors and windows shattered by the force of the blasts.
The Emergency Ministry said teams were working to clear unexploded ordnance from the area, a hazardous task that has accompanied several recent depot incidents.
This month alone there have been at least three other depot detonations, including a weapons storage explosion in Idlib province on Sept. 9 that killed 14 people, and a blast in eastern Syria last week that killed 11. Reuters has tallied at least 16 similar explosions at arms storage facilities since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
Authorities have attributed some blasts to poor storage, fires or deteriorated ammunition, while the causes of several incidents remain publicly unestablished. Investigations are ongoing.
(Reporting by Kinda Makieh and Karam al-Masri; Writing by Feras Dalatey; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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