The terrorist attack, believed to be aimed at a major gas pipeline in rural Damascus, has led to a power outage across Syria, according to the country's electricity and energy ministries.
The blast could have been caused by a terrorist act and led to a power outage across Syria the Syrian news agency SANA reported, quoting the oil and mineral ministries later stressing that it was initially affirmed: After assessing the situation, it is clear that the explosion on the gas pipeline is a terrorist attack.
There have been no reports of injuries in the blast, but several photos and videos have gone viral on social media showing a large fire submerging the gas pipeline.
According to Syrian Power Minister Mohammad Zuhair Kharboutli, the explosion damaged a section of the Arab gas pipeline between the towns of Al-Dumayr and Adra in the capital Damascus, reducing pressure and causing the country's power plants to stop operating.
The incident occurred at midnight on August 23 local time and it is not yet clear which area of Syria was affected and to what extent.
Hours after the blast, as firefighters were still fighting the fire, the ministries of electricity and energy worked together to restart several power plants and partially restore power supply to essential infrastructure.
Kharboutli added that this was the sixth time the gas pipeline has been affected by an explosion during the Syrian conflict. The Syrian minister declined to speculate on the cause of the latest blast.
