Explosion at mosque in Syria's Homs kills at least eight during Friday prayers
An explosion at a mosque in Syria's Homs has killed at least eight people during Friday prayers, according to local reports.
Explosion at mosque in Syria's Homs kills at least eight during Friday prayers
At least eight people were killed and several others injured in an explosion at a mosque in Syria's Homs during Friday prayers, according to local reports.
The blast occurred at the Al-Sultan Mosque in the Al-Malaab neighborhood of Homs, a city that has seen heavy fighting during the Syrian civil war. The explosion happened during the weekly Friday prayers, when the mosque was crowded with worshippers.
"We were in the middle of the prayer when we heard a loud bang," said one witness, who asked not to be named. "People started running and screaming. It was chaos."
Another witness, who was outside the mosque at the time, said: "I saw people running out of the mosque, some of them covered in blood."
The cause of the explosion is not yet known, and no group has claimed responsibility. The Syrian government has blamed "terrorists" for the attack, but has not provided any evidence to support this claim.
The United Nations has condemned the attack, calling it "a heinous crime against civilians."
The Syrian civil war has been ongoing since 2011, and has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more. The conflict has seen numerous atrocities committed by all sides, including the use of chemical weapons and the targeting of civilian areas.
The international community has called for an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident, and for those responsible to be held accountable.
"We call on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and to protect civilians," said a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
The death toll from this attack is expected to rise as more information becomes available.