Iraq News
Terrorism

Afrin market bombing death toll expected to rise

By Waleed Abu al-Khair in Cairo

A member of the White Helmets stands amid the smoke and wreckage following a Tuesday (April 28th) bomb blast in the Aleppo province city of Afrin. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

A member of the White Helmets stands amid the smoke and wreckage following a Tuesday (April 28th) bomb blast in the Aleppo province city of Afrin. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

A bomb that detonated Tuesday (April 28th) in a popular market in the city of Afrin in northwestern rural Aleppo has killed at least 46 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The death toll is likely to rise, because some of the injured are in critical condition, media activist Tariq al-Ahmed told Diyaruna.

No list of the victims’ names has been released yet, because some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition in the resulting fire, al-Ahmed said.

More than half of the casualties are civilians who either lived in the area or happened to be in the market, he said. At least 10 children were among the dead, he added, and around 60 people suffered injuries as a result of the blast.

A White Helmets fire brigade puts out a blaze on Tuesday (April 28th) caused by the explosion of a fuel tanker in the Afrin city centre. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

A White Helmets fire brigade puts out a blaze on Tuesday (April 28th) caused by the explosion of a fuel tanker in the Afrin city centre. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

Smoke rises from the place where a bomb went off Tuesday (April 28th) in a popular market in Afrin. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

Smoke rises from the place where a bomb went off Tuesday (April 28th) in a popular market in Afrin. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

A Tuesday (April 28th) explosion in the Aleppo city of Afrin set cars on fire and killed and injured dozens, most of them civilians. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

A Tuesday (April 28th) explosion in the Aleppo city of Afrin set cars on fire and killed and injured dozens, most of them civilians. [Photo courtesy of Syrian Civil Defence]

Preliminary information indicates the massive blast was exacerbated by the explosion of a fuel truck that was present in the area, he said, with the resulting fuel-sparked fires impeding rescue operations.

The explosion occurred at the entrance to a popular market in the city centre between al-Siyasa and al-Saraya roundabouts, near the recruitment centre of an armed opposition group, al-Ahmed said.

This area is usually crowded with civilians, he said, especially before iftar.

White Helmets teams are removing rubble from the area in a continuing search for missing persons, he said, with the final toll to be released pending the completion of the search.

No party has claimed responsibility for the bombing so far, al-Ahmed said, noting that the area is under the control of a number of Syrian opposition groups who have clashed in recent days in a struggle for influence.

The US State Department condemned the attack, AFP reported.

"Such cowardly acts of evil are unacceptable from any side in this conflict," spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.

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