Dozens dead, injured in Syria car bomb blast

Dozens dead, injured in Syria car bomb blast
Sun Feb 23, 2014 14:07:54

Dozens of people have been killed and injured after a car bomb exploded near a field hospital in the Syrian town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border.

"There are 50 casualties and they are being transported to Bab al-Hawa (crossing) and to another hospital in Atmeh," witness Abdallah Saleh told Reuters on Sunday.

Others said that at least nine people were killed in the terrorist attack.

Reuters also reported that the field hospital was damaged in the blast.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, but Atmeh lies in land held by foreign-backed militants seeking to overthrow the Syrian government. Atmeh, which is part of the Idlib Governorate, is also home to a growing refugee camp.

According to initial reports from Reuters, the hospital is owned by Ghassan Aboud, a Persian Gulf-based Syrian businessman who runs a private television channel and charitable foundations for helping refugees.

Sunday's car bomb attack comes three days after more than a dozen people were killed when a car bomb tore through a Syrian refugee camp at a border post on the frontier with Turkey.

At least 14 people were killed after the explosion at the Bab al-Salameh crossing on Thursday, The Daily Star reported.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 130,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the unrest.

NTJ/HH

string(856) "[{"id":"1510823","sort":"3170972","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/08/28/alalam_635133194026850170_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Premature car bomb blast kills 40 militants in Syria"} ,{"id":"1517650","sort":"3170973","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/17/alalam_635150383839945336_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Car bomb rocks Syria-Turkey crossing"} ,{"id":"1519865","sort":"3170974","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/24/alalam_635156435501423150_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Deadly car-bomb hits Syria’s capital"} ,{"id":"1524471","sort":"3170975","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/10/14/alalam_635173663590477302_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"At least 27 civilians killed in Syria's Idlib car blast"} ,{"id":"1547138","sort":"3170976","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/12/22/alalam_635233180097881612_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"5 children, 2 workers killed in Syria car bombing"} ]"