Latakia Explosion Kills 16 as Unexploded War Munition Detonates

A blast in a four-story building in Syria's Latakia, caused by leftover war ordnance, resulted in significant casualties and structural collapse.

An explosion in Latakia, Syria, killed at least 16 people, including five children, and injured 18 others, according to rescue officials.
The blast occurred when a scrap dealer attempted to dismantle unexploded war munitions in a workshop located in the building's ground floor.
The detonation caused the complete collapse of the four-story building, with rescue teams continuing to search for survivors in the rubble.
The incident highlights the ongoing danger posed by remnants of Syria's 14-year civil war, with hundreds of thousands of unexploded ordnance still scattered across the country.
The coastal region, predominantly inhabited by the Alawite community, has also seen recent violence between supporters of the ousted Assad regime and the new Islamist leadership.