Feb 21 (V7N) - At least seven civilians, including a woman and a child, lost their lives on Thursday when stored unexploded munitions detonated inside a house in northwestern Syria, according to a war monitoring group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the explosion occurred in Idlib province, a day after another organization warned that two-thirds of Syrians remain at risk from leftover ordnance.

An AFP journalist at the scene in Al-Nayrab observed civil defense teams recovering bodies from the debris.

The Observatory stated that the house’s owner was a scrap dealer who collected unexploded munitions for their metal content, unknowingly creating a deadly hazard. Locals confirmed that these munitions were stored near the home.

Civil defense worker Mohammed Ibrahim said emergency responders initially treated the incident as a mystery explosion. "Upon arrival, they discovered unexploded ordnance," he noted. Due to concerns about further detonations, journalists were barred from approaching the site.

The non-governmental organization Humanity and Inclusion had already warned on Wednesday of the extreme dangers posed by remnants of war. Experts estimate that 100,000 to 300,000 out of roughly one million munitions used during the Syrian civil war failed to detonate.

"This is an absolute disaster," said Danila Zizi, the group’s Syria program director, stressing that over 15 million people—out of a population of 23 million—are at risk.

The situation has grown more urgent as Syrians return home following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December. UN data indicates that more than one million people have returned, including 280,000 from abroad.

Zizi highlighted that barrel bombs used extensively by Assad’s forces had a high failure rate, leaving countless unexploded devices behind. Additionally, retreating Islamic State militants planted numerous booby traps, many of which remain unmapped.

Humanity and Inclusion recorded 125 accidents involving unexploded ordnance in January alone, resulting in at least 85 deaths and 152 injuries. Most victims have been farmers working in fields or children playing outdoors.

The crisis underscores the urgent need for large-scale clearance efforts to prevent further loss of life in Syria’s war-scarred landscape.

END/WD/RH/