At least nine people were killed in a car blast on Thursday in the center of the Syrian town of Jableh in the coastal Mediterranean province of Latakia, Reuters reported, citing state television.
State media said scores of cars were on fire and shops were also damaged by the blast in a bustling commercial part of the town that lies in President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite sect’s heartland.
According to the source, senior medical officer Ghassan Findi told state television the death toll was expected to rise with rescue operations still continuing and scores of injured still being rushed to nearby hospitals.
State television showed footage of mangled cars and shutters of shops damaged and blown apart as rescue workers cleared the debris amid a heavy security presence in the bustling commercial area near a popular vegetable market and a garage depot.
