DAMASCUS, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and 21 others wounded in an explosion at a mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs, a city in central Syria, during Friday prayers, Syrian health authorities said.
Najib al-Naasan, director of referral, ambulance and emergency services at Syria's Health Ministry, told state-run SANA news agency that the toll was a preliminary figure. He said the explosion occurred inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque, adding that emergency teams rushed the wounded to nearby hospitals.
Security and medical teams cordoned off the area as investigations began. Authorities said security measures were tightened around the area.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the blast inside the mosque, saying it was not yet clear whether the explosion was a suicide attack. ■
