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A series of powerful explosions struck a military ammunition depot near the town of Al-Eis in Syria’s southern Aleppo countryside early Monday, injuring at least four people and prompting authorities to close roads and urge residents to stay indoors, state media reported.
Syrian state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya initially reported that the cause of the blasts was under investigation. The Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA, later said an initial explosion at an army site was followed by continuous secondary blasts.
Local sources said the site was an ammunition depot belonging to Syria’s Defense Ministry.
The Emergency and Disaster Management Ministry said one civilian was wounded by shrapnel, two suffered temporary breathing difficulties and another was injured in a traffic accident while trying to flee the area.
Civil defense teams transported the injured and evacuated three families from the blast site.
Aleppo civil defense operations chief Faisal Mohammad Ali said continuing explosions had prevented emergency teams from reaching the site quickly and urged civilians to stay away.
A resident of Aleppo’s Hamdaniyeh neighborhood told Agence France-Presse (AFP) they heard a “huge explosion” and later saw large flames in the distance.
Aleppo’s Internal Security Directorate placed personnel on high alert and closed the Aleppo-Damascus highway and roads leading toward the affected area to protect civilians.
Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib urged residents to remain indoors and avoid the explosion sites.
He said hospitals, ambulances and emergency teams were on standby while authorities monitored developments.
Similar explosions have occurred elsewhere in Syria in recent weeks. An explosion of unknown origin killed 11 people at a military site in Deir Ezzor on Friday.
Earlier this month, an explosion at a Defense Ministry weapons depot in Idlib province killed 14 people and injured 11. Five people were also killed just over a week earlier in the same area when a vehicle carrying munitions exploded.
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