A blast in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia killed at least 10 people, adding that it was triggered by a scrap dealer mishandling unexploded ordnance.
SANA news agency earlier reported that “the death toll from the explosion at a hardware store” in Latakia’s southern neighbourhood of Al-Rimal had been eight.
The news agency said three children and a woman were among the victims of the blast at the store inside a four-storey building.
“Fourteen civilians were also injured, including four children,” SANA said.
War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion was caused by unexploded ordnance.
It described the blast as an “accident” resulting from a resident’s attempt to dismantle unexploded ordnance in the building.
A resident of the city, Ward Jammoul, 32, told AFP that she heard a “loud blast”, adding that she “headed to the site and found a completely destroyed building”.
She said civil defence personnel and ambulances were present at the site, alongside “a large number of people who had gathered to look for those trapped under the rubble”.
An image carried by SANA showed a large plume of smoke rising over a populated neighbourhood.
