The blast struck a temporary storage site used for collecting weapons and war remnants near the city of Sarmada, the Idlib health department said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately specified. Syria's defence ministry said several of its personnel were among the wounded, according to its media department. Syrian media broadcast images of large columns of black smoke rising from the site as rescuers rushed to the area. The incident is the second deadly explosion to hit Idlib this month. Earlier in September, a car carrying ammunition exploded in the town of Binnish, killing five people. A government source said the vehicle was owned by a weapons trader, though authorities never announced what caused that blast. Wednesday's explosion in Sarmada, near the Turkish border, appeared to be unrelated. Idlib, which borders Turkey, was a key stronghold of armed anti-government factions during Syria's more than 13-year civil war. The province fell to opposition forces in 2015 before a 2020 ceasefire backed by Turkey and Russia halted a government offensive. Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December 2024, ending more than five decades of rule by his family. Sporadic explosions involving ammunition-laden cars or arms depots have repeatedly occurred across Idlib, underscoring the lingering dangers of unexploded ordnance and poorly secured weapons stockpiles in the war-scarred region. (Bssnews)