A massive explosion in an ammunition depot in Maarat Misrin, northern Idlib province, killed at least six people and injured over 100, including women and children, on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local reports. The blast, reported at 8:30 am local time, sent thick smoke plumes into the sky, triggering panic and secondary explosions that complicated rescue efforts, the Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) stated.

The White Helmets reported ongoing searches for people trapped under rubble, with Raed al-Saleh, Syria’s Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, noting on X that “recurring explosions” hindered operations. Idlib’s Health Directorate confirmed 71 injuries at Maarat Misrin Hospital alone, with Anadolu Agency reporting 15 blasts at an arms depot in nearby Kafriya, damaging structures. State-run SANA cited four deaths and 116 injuries, while Syria TV suggested the explosion stemmed from “war remnants and munitions.”

No official cause has been confirmed, though posts on X speculated about a possible link to the Turkistan Islamic Party’s missile depot in Al-Fu’ah, with unverified claims of unidentified aircraft overhead. Syria, recovering from a 14-year civil war that ended with Bashar Assad’s ouster by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, faces ongoing instability in Idlib, an opposition stronghold. The war displaced 11 million and killed nearly 500,000.

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