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Syria revises bus blast toll to 14 injured, no dead
What were originally identified as human remains were brought to a hospital, but these were later determined to belong to injured victims
- PUBLISHED: Thu 6 Aug 2026, 9:36 PM UPDATED: Fri 7 Aug 2026, 1:36 PM
Syria on Friday revised its toll for a bus explosion in Jaramana, near the capital Damascus, to 14 wounded and no deaths, after previously saying two people had been killed.
On Thursday, a blast ripped through a minibus in the town, home to Christian and Druze communities, with state TV saying it was a bomb, citing an official source.
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Jaramana has suffered several incidents of sectarian violence since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad in 2024.
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The health ministry initially reported two people killed and 13 wounded, but in the early hours of Friday, Toufic Hasaba, an official at the ministry, told state TV that "the final toll reached 14 injuries", with three people in a critical condition.
The interior ministry reported the same toll.
What were originally identified as human remains were brought to a hospital, but these were later determined to belong to injured victims.
The interior ministry said that "specialised units moved immediately after the explosion to secure the scene, collect evidence and pursue investigations to determine the circumstances of the crime, identify those responsible, and bring them to justice".
Jaramana resident Samer Abbas was metres away in his clothing store when the explosion went off. A piece of shrapnel hit the storefront.
“It was a strong unnatural sound,” he told Reuters in an interview.
His son, who had been sitting outside, was the first thing that came to Abbas' mind. Fearing the worst, Abbas said he could not rest until he confirmed his son was safe.
“My blood dried up until I checked up on him, I saw him ... until I heard his voice,” he said.
Over at the Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Bassel Imad said the bombing was "sadistic". His cousin Safouh was driving the vehicle that exploded and lay injured.
The targeted street in Jaramana is somewhat narrow and includes shops and street vendors, Imad said, as people clamored around him.
"What happened was very wicked," he added.
Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani said in a post overnight on X that "targeting civilians and attempts to undermine security and stability will not deter Syrians from continuing on the path of recovery and state-building".
He pledged that "state institutions will continue to fulfil their duty to protect citizens, pursue those responsible for these crimes and bring them to justice".
Syria's authorities have faced significant security challenges since overthrowing Assad, with Damascus and its suburbs the site of multiple attacks and incidents targeting civilians.