A blast caused by explosive remnants of war inside an abandoned military barracks in the al-Abbasiyah neighborhood of Homs (central Syria) injured 31 civilians on Friday, March 13, and caused material damage to nearby properties.
The Homs Health Directorate said the injured were transferred to the city’s hospitals for emergency treatment, amid panic in nearby southern and eastern neighborhoods.
Six critical cases
The Homs Media Directorate told Enab Baladi that al-Zahraa Hospital received the largest number of injured, with 23 cases, while al-Abbasiyah district hospital received six cases, and two injured people were transferred to al-Ahli Hospital.
It added that the injured included women and children who were near the site at the moment of the explosion.
According to the directorate, six cases were classified as critical and are currently undergoing surgery and intensive monitoring, while the rest were discharged after receiving treatment and being declared stable.
Security warnings
The Internal Security Command warned that the site still contains old rocket remnants and unexploded ordnance, posing a direct threat to civilians.
It added that technical teams are currently working to secure the area and remove the remaining remnants.
Local sources told Enab Baladi that this was not the first explosion at the al-Abbasiyah barracks. Residents expressed concern over the continued presence of war remnants inside the site, which lies directly beside the densely populated neighborhoods of al-Abbasiyah, al-Muhajireen, and Deir Baalbeh.
They warned that the absence of a full survey of the area could lead to similar disasters in the future.
Syria a “deadly environment”
The incident again highlights the crisis posed by war remnants in Syria.
According to a report published by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on February 25, Syria remains one of the world’s most contaminated countries with landmines and unexploded ordnance.
The organization said the spread of these remnants has turned vast areas into “deadly environments” that continue to claim civilian lives and cause long-term disabilities.
It added that the lack of comprehensive maps and the limited capacity of technical survey operations have prevented local communities from being secured, especially in areas that once included military barracks or former frontlines.
80 killed in four months
At least 80 civilians, including 21 children, were killed in Syria by exploding war remnants during the first four months of 2024 alone.
The governorates of Aleppo and Hama recorded the highest numbers of casualties, followed by Daraa and Homs.
These figures point to an ongoing threat to civilians due to the widespread presence of mines and unexploded ordnance in residential and agricultural areas, amid the absence of comprehensive clearance operations that could ensure residents’ safety from these hidden dangers.
This continues to deepen humanitarian and living hardships, while raising fears of more casualties in residential neighborhoods.
if you think the article contain wrong information or you have additional details
