DAMASCUS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and 11 others injured on Wednesday in an explosion at a temporary ammunition storage facility near the city of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, local health authorities said.
The Syrian Defense Ministry's Media and Communications Department said the explosion occurred at a temporary storage facility used to collect weapons and remnants of war.
The ministry said a number of its personnel working at the site were injured, adding that its units were coordinating with relevant authorities to secure the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based war monitor, also put the death toll at 14 but reported 12 injuries, including some in critical condition.
According to the SOHR, the initial blast was followed by several successive explosions, causing extensive damage near the facility and setting a number of vehicles on fire.
The injured were taken to medical facilities for treatment, according to the SOHR.
Earlier reports said the explosion occurred at an arms depot along the Sarmada highway, triggering a fire and prompting security forces to close roads leading to the area.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. ■
