Mine event in Qalamoun Mountain range area, Syrian Arab Republic on Sat 18th April 2026

Two Syrian minors lost their lives on Friday following a landmine blast in the rural outskirts of Damascus, according to state-run media reports. The incident underscores the ongoing danger posed by unexploded ordnance scattered across former conflict zones.

A news agency reported that the detonation took place in the Qalamoun Mountain range, situated between the towns of Deir Atiyah and Al-Qaryatayn. At the time of the explosion, the children were assisting their father in tending a flock of sheep, when they accidentally triggered the device.

Authorities stated that the blast was the result of a landmine remaining from the previous governing regime. The two children were transported to Al-Qalamoun Hospital in Al-Nabek; however, one was pronounced dead before arrival, while the second passed away shortly after due to critical injuries sustained in the explosion.

Officials regularly document fatalities and injuries caused by unexploded remnants of war stemming from the country’s 14-year conflict between 2011 and 2024. That war, which began under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad, resulted in extensive destruction and hundreds of thousands of deaths. The regime eventually collapsed after opposition forces entered Damascus in December 2024.