The Kurdish city of Qamishli, in Syria, has been struck by a double explosion that killed dozens, state tv reports hundreds of people injured as ISIS claims responsibility for the deadly attack at its newsroom called Amaq.

At least 44 people have died in the double explosion that occurred Wednesday in northern Syria. According to initial reports, a suicide truck driver drove the vehicle packed with explosives and blew it up on the western side of the city. Minutes after the attack, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blast near a Kurdish security headquarters in Hassakeh province.

The attack has been categorized as one of the deadliest in the city, at least, for the last months. Image Credit: Sputnik News
The attack has been categorized as one of the deadliest in the city, at least, for the last months. Image Credit: Sputnik News

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an English monitoring group, reports many people have been trapped under the debris, and it’s feared the number of deaths will increase.

Deadly double- explosion

The town of Qamishli faced a deadly explosion with a follow-up on Wednesday, initial reports explain how the truck blew up and minutes after an explosive motorcycle followed the event. After the bombings had occurred, state TV broadcasted images and footage of the deadly scene showing a significant amount of burned debris and a giant cloud of gray smoke. Many residential buildings were hit by the intense blast.

The Syrian state television reports at least, 171 people have been injured in the attack claimed by ISIS, yet the numbers may rise. The scene is filled with burned cars, damaged buildings. Smoke burned objects and destruction. Victims of the explosion include civilians and members of the security forces, the BBC reports.

People in Syria watch where the attack took place in horror, after 44 casualties have been confirmed so far by authorities in the city of Qamishli. Image Credit: BBC
People in Syria watch where the attack took place in horror, after 44 casualties have been confirmed so far by authorities in the city of Qamishli. Image Credit: BBC

Currently, rescue teams are working on the scene, as they try to find possible victims trapped under the significant amount of debris.  Meanwhile, local hospitals are asking for blood donations of any type.

According to eye-witnesses, the explosion of the blast was so loud that it was heard miles away, and it even damaged some distant buildings, The Associated Press reports. The city is near the border with Turkey, and Kurds highly control it, yet, the Syrian government has a high presence in the area as well. This is not the first attack in the Kurd-controlled city.

There’s also a significant presence of the Kurdish-U.S backed democratic forces that are fighting on the northern side of the country against the Islamic State. Just a few days ago, the democratic forces recovered territory at the ISIS-state of Manbij.

Source: BBC News