ERBIL () — At least four people were injured after a series of explosions struck a Syrian army site near the town of Al-Eis in the southern Aleppo countryside early Monday, with authorities evacuating nearby residents and closing roads leading to the area.
The explosions occurred at an army site near Al-Eis, according to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency. The cause of the blasts was not immediately known, while local sources cited by regional media said the site was an ammunition depot belonging to Syria’s Defense Ministry.
SANA reported that the explosions continued after the initial blast, complicating efforts by emergency and rescue teams to reach the site.
Aleppo civil defense operations chief Faisal Mohammad Ali said emergency teams eventually reached the area and evacuated four injured people.
The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management later said one civilian was injured by shrapnel from the explosion. Two others suffered temporary breathing difficulties, while another person was injured in a traffic accident while attempting to flee the area.
Civil defense teams also evacuated three families from nearby homes and remained on high alert because of the continuing explosions.
Authorities warned residents to stay away from the site because of the potential presence of unexploded ordnance, fragments and other hazardous materials.
A resident of Aleppo's Hamdaniyeh neighborhood told AFP that a huge explosion was heard and that large flames could be seen in the distance from the neighborhood.
Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib urged residents to remain indoors and avoid approaching the explosion site, saying hospitals, ambulances and emergency teams had been placed on full alert.
Aleppo's Internal Security Command closed roads leading to the site, including the Damascus-Aleppo route, to protect civilians and allow emergency teams to operate. Authorities also called on residents not to gather near the area or circulate unverified information.
The incident comes as Syria continues to deal with the security and humanitarian consequences of more than a decade of conflict. The country has also recorded a series of recent explosions at weapons and ammunition facilities.
An explosion at a military site in the Deir Ezzor area earlier this month killed 11 people, according to recent reports. In northwestern Idlib province, an explosion at a temporary weapons and war-remnants depot earlier in September killed four people and injured 10 others, according to SANA.
Authorities have not attributed Monday's explosions to any particular party, and the cause remains under investigation.
