Video: Chaotic aftermath of Syrian suicide bomb at school that killed more than 40 children
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Version 0 of 1. A horrific video purporting to show the aftermath of two suicide bombings on a primary school in the Syrian government- controlled city of Homs has been released. The footage, which cannot be independently verified, records the terrifying moments in Ekrima neighbourhood following the second of two blasts killing over 40 children. It remains unclear which organisation was behind the attacks. None have yet claimed responsibility for the explosions, which the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) claimed killed 48 people. Homs governor Talal Barazzi described the attack as a “terrorist act and a desperate attempt that targeted school children”, to Al Jazerra. The SOHR said 41 of the confirmed dead were children. Four adults were killed in the second blast as they ran into the street to help the wounded. The number of dead is expected to rise as 56 people were seriously injured by the blasts. In the shaky video, the amateur cameraman records the terrifying seconds immediately following the second explosion. People can be heard screaming and crying for help, as many attempt to run towards a burning car in order to help. Debris and scraps of clothing can be seen littering the blood-stained ground. At one point the unknown man kneels and helps another man who is attempting to rescue a child. Black smoke fills the street as figures run past. Yesterday, a Syrian pro-government channel broadcast footage taken hours after the explosions, showing parents searching through bloodied rubble amid schoolbags and torn clothing. The attack is one of the deadliest in Homs for months. Ekrima neighbourhood is mostly inhabited by members of the same Alawite sect that President Bashar Assad belongs to. Homs has been referred to as the ‘capital of the revolution’ and became a haunting focal point of the measure of human suffering when it was attacked by government forces in 2012. Hundreds are believed to have died. |