INA-Baghdad
The Syrian Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that 21 people were killed or injured in the initial toll from the explosion that targeted a popular café in the capital, Damascus.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), in a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), quoted the Director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the Ministry, Ahmed al-Bakour, as saying: "The toll from the explosion that occurred in the al-Mushiriyah café on al-Nasr Street in Damascus has reached 5 deaths and 16 injuries."
In the same context, teams from the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management began rescue and relief operations and secured the site, while simultaneously taking strict precautionary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, according to an official statement. Sources speaking to Syrian television suggested that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).
