DAMASCUS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A massive explosion rocked a weapon depot of the Syrian army in the eastern countryside of the northwestern province of Latakia on Wednesday, a monitor group reported.
The blast rocked the weapon depot in the town Slinfah, killing and wounding an unknown number of soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The oppositional UK-based watchdog group said the blast rattled the eastern countryside of Latakia and caused big property losses.
Still, the causes of the blast remained murky, the Observatory added.
Meanwhile, pro-government activists said the blast occurred in an old weapon depot, leaving wounded people only with no casualties.
The activists also shunned aside any possibility of a terror attack in that area.
Latakia, the hometown of President Bashar al-Assad, has returned under the spotlight recently, following drone attacks carried out by rebels on the Russian-run Hmeimim air base in the countryside of Latakia.
The base, which contains a command center for the Russian forces in Syria, has been subject to repeated attacks in recent days.
The first major one was earlier this month when mortar shells hit the base and damaged several warplanes.
