Syria Holds Funerals for 11 Troops Killed in Deir el-Zour Arms Depot Blast
Funerals were held in eastern Syria for 11 military members killed in an arms depot explosion at Ayash in Deir el-Zour province, with several others wounded.
Funerals were held on Saturday for 11 Syrian military personnel killed in an explosion at an arms depot in eastern Syria the previous day.
The coffins of the deceased were carried by fellow service members during a procession in Deir el-Zour province, where the village of Ayash is located. Mourners, relatives and civilians looked on as the coffins were borne on shoulders towards waiting ambulances, and military personnel saluted as the vehicles departed.
Syria's Defence Ministry said the blast, which occurred on Friday, also wounded several other members of the military. The ministry did not provide a reason for the explosion.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said the explosion took place at an arms depot at a military post in Ayash. It put the death toll at 11 and said 10 others were wounded.
The incident follows a similar explosion earlier this month near the northwestern town of Sarmada, which killed 14 people and left others injured.