Explosion in Damascus kills atleast a dozen, Parliament member blames Saudi Arabia and US for terrorism
An explosion in the Syrian capital Damascus has killed more than a dozen people, according to reports.
Some media outlets said 13 people died in the blast and more than 70 others were injured.
Syrian car bomb rubble, photo from video coverage of explosion
Al Jazeera is reporting it was a car bomb that rocked the heart of the city with the country’s prime minister nearly surviving the blast.
Residents said they heard the blast and saw thick, black smoke billowing from behind a group of buildings. Footage showed dozens of damaged vehicles and plumes of smoke rising from burning cars.
Sharif Shehadeh, a Syrian member of parliament, told Al Jazeera “terrorism sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States” was harming “innocent civilians”.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have been at the forefront of backing Syrian armed opposition while the United States has provided “non-lethal aid” to groups fighting Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
UPDATE:
On Monday an explosion that targeted Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi’s envoy in central Damascus damaged cars and caused casualties, state media reported.
The car bomb, which exploded as his convoy passed through the upscale al-Mazzeh neighbourhood, killed one of his bodyguards and five other people, according to SOHR.
Damascus has seen a wave of major bombings in recent weeks, including on April 9, when a massive blast in the centre of the city killed at least 15 people.
Tuesday’s attack came as the British charity Oxfam warned that the human cost of Syria’s conflict had risen beyond all expectations.
In a report, Oxfam said there were already more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. Inside Syria itself, 6.8 million people struggle in urgent need of assistance, it said.
