Hama province, northwest Syria.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated on Thursday, July 27, that a motorcycle exploded near a public taxi, indicating that investigations are still ongoing.
Damascus. JULY 28, 2023.
A bomb killed six people and wounded scores on Thursday when it exploded near the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum in Damascus, Syria’s most visited Shiite pilgrimage site, the authorities said.
The deadly blast south of the capital came ahead of the annual commemoration of Ashura, when Shiites remember the death of the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, in a seventh century battle.
The interior ministry gave a death toll of six, state news agency SANA reported, revising an earlier death toll of five.
More than 20 people were wounded in the attack which the interior ministry said was caused when a motorcycle exploded near a taxi, calling it a “terrorist bombing.”
Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash visited the wounded in hospital, the ministry said.
State television reported that the explosion was caused by a “bomb placed in a taxi by unidentified people.”
“Then ambulances arrived and security forces cordoned off the area.”
At least six people have been killed and 23 wounded after a bomb blast near the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum, a shrine of Shia community, in Damascus, a day ahead of Ashura – the 10th day of Muharram, Syrian state media reported.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated on Thursday, July 27, that a motorcycle exploded near a public taxi, indicating that investigations are still ongoing.
The police and authorities concerned rushed to the explosion site and took the bodies and the wounded to hospital,” the Interior Ministry stated in a statement on Telegram, terming it a “terrorist bombing”.
In a video clip circulating on social media platforms, people carried two men covered in blood and dust off the ground while they were calling for help. The glass windows of the nearby shops were shattered and one of them caught fire.
This was the second explosion in the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood within a few days, as two people were wounded on Tuesday, July 25.
Over the past few days, the security forces have tightened their measures in the Sayeda Zeinab area, in conjunction with the Shiite commemoration councils.
Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, and his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala in the seventh century in present-day Iraq. Ashura marks the culmination of the mourning process.