The death toll from an explosion at a temporary ammunition depot near the town of Sarmada in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province has risen to 14, while 11 others were injured, according to Syrian authorities.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense said the blast occurred at a temporary storage facility used to hold weapons and unexploded ordnance collected from former conflict zones before they were transported elsewhere. The ministry added that several of its personnel were among those injured.

The Idlib Health Directorate confirmed the updated casualty toll, saying the injured suffered minor to moderate wounds.

Civil Defense and Syrian Arab Red Crescent rescue teams continued searching the rubble for possible survivors, though ongoing secondary explosions complicated rescue operations.

Witnesses reported hearing an initial small explosion followed by a much larger blast that sent a massive plume of black smoke into the sky and triggered additional explosions inside the depot. Security forces sealed off roads leading to the site to protect civilians.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

The incident comes just days after another ammunition-related explosion in nearby Binnish, underscoring the continuing risks posed by weapons and war remnants in northwestern Syria.(ILKHA)