Syria says 11 soldiers killed in Friday’s blast at army site in Deir ez-Zor

The Syrian Defense Ministry said Saturday that 11 soldiers were killed in Friday’s explosion at an army site in the Ayyash area west of Deir ez-Zor province in northern Syria, Anadolu reports.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing the ministry, said the soldiers’ procession was set out from the National Hospital in Deir ez-Zor city.

The authorities have not yet disclosed the cause or circumstances of the blast.

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The ministry’s Media and Communications Department said Friday that an explosion had occurred at one of the army’s sites in the Ayyash area west of Deir ez-Zor.

It said authorities were investigating the causes and assessing the consequences, without providing a casualty toll.

State-run Alikhbariah TV also reported Friday that ambulances and civil defense teams had been dispatched to the site, adding that the nature of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Saturday’s announcement of the 11 deaths marked the first casualty toll released since the blast was reported.

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