DAMASCUS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- An explosion in a suburb south of the Syrian capital of Damascus killed six people and injured 46 others on Thursday, according to state media.
The incident occurred on al-Sudan Street in the al-Sayeda Zainab suburb, where an explosive device planted in a motorcycle near a taxicab was remotely detonated, the state-run Syrian TV reported.
Syrian Health Minister Hassan Al-Ghabbash said that 20 of the wounded had minor injuries and were treated on the scene, while the rest were taken to hospitals.
He added that 11 ambulances rushed to the site following the explosion.
The al-Sayeda Zainab suburb is a predominantly Shiite area where Muslim Shiites, mainly from Iran, usually visit to perform pilgrimage to holy Shiite shrines. The Lebanese Hezbollah group has a presence there as well.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported that the explosive device exploded near a military outpost used by Iran-backed fighters.
It is the second explosion in the area within 48 hours. On July 25, a booby-trapped motorcycle blast wounded two people, as reported by the observatory.
Since the army drove out the rebel group from the Eastern Ghouta countryside in May 2018, Damascus has remained relatively peaceful. However, sporadic explosions continue to occur, targeting seemingly random locations. ■
