|
At least 40 killed in Syrian weapons depot blast
Rocket attacks struck government-held districts in the central Syrian city of Homs on Thursday, setting off successive explosions in a weapons depot that killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens, an opposition group and residents said. The blasts sent a massive ball of fire into the sky, causing widespread damage and panic among residents, many of whom are supporters of President Bashar Al Assad.One resident said the explosions were so strong that they cracked the walls of some buildings. Thick smoke and dust could be seen from a distance as explosions shook the ground. A video posted online by activists showed a huge ball of fire over Homs neighbourhoods. The explosions in Homs reflected the see-saw nature of the conflict. It showed that despite significant advances by Assads military, rebels could still strike back. An official at the governors office in Homs said about 10 rockets slammed into the neighbourhood of Zahra and the nearby sports stadium, sparking a large fire and causing several casualties. He said the explosions caused massive destruction and wounded at least 130 people. He didnt offer a number for those killed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which closely monitors the fighting in Syria, said 40 people were killed and 120 were wounded some critically when rockets struck an arms depot, igniting the fire. A resident of Homs corroborated that account, saying he heard blasts for more than an hour after the first explosion. He said they could be heard from the overwhelmingly pro-regime districts of Wadi Dahab and Al Walid, where the regime is known to keep arms depots. Rockets were falling on the area ... when the arms depot began to explode but we dont know if the rockets triggered the blasts, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. He said the explosions were so strong that they shook parts of the city. They also shattered all windows in the area and cracked walls, he added. He said he spoke with Syrian Arab Red The explosions in Homs coincided with a rare trip by President Bashar Assad to a former rebel bastion near the capital, Damascus, to mark Army Day. Assads visit to Daraya is his first known public trip outside the capital, his seat of power, in more than a year. He visited the battered Baba Amr district in the central city of Homs after troops seized it from rebels in March 2012. Posted by: Steve White 2013-08-02 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=373218 |