Damascus: At least six people have been killed and 23 wounded after a bomb blast near the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum, a shrine of Shia community, in Damascus, a day ahead of Ashura – the 10th day of Muharram, Syrian state media reported.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated on Thursday, July 27, that a motorcycle exploded near a public taxi, indicating that investigations are still ongoing.
“The police and authorities concerned rushed to the explosion site and took the bodies and the wounded to hospital,” the Interior Ministry stated in a statement on Telegram, terming it a “terrorist bombing”.
In a video clip circulating on social media platforms, people carried two men covered in blood and dust off the ground while they were calling for help. The glass windows of the nearby shops were shattered and one of them caught fire.
This was the second explosion in the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood within a few days, as two people were wounded on Tuesday, July 25.
Over the past few days, the security forces have tightened their measures in the Sayeda Zeinab area, in conjunction with the Shiite commemoration councils.
Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, and his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala in the seventh century in present-day Iraq. Ashura marks the culmination of the mourning process.
