AFP, DAMASCUS: A loud blast heard in Damascus on Tuesday was caused by a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance by authorities, Syria's official SANA news agency reported.
"The explosion heard a short while ago in the vicinity of the capital resulted from the detonation of war remnants by the competent authorities,"SANA said on messaging network Telegram.
Syrian authorities had not issued any warning ahead of the detonation.
The official Alekhbariah TV channel initially reported "a loud explosion of unknown origin in the city of Damascus" without giving further information.
Two AFP correspondents also heard the blast.
