MIDDLE EAST:An explosion at a military complex in northern Syria killed 15 soldiers and wounded 50 yesterday.
Authorities said the blast, which was heard 20km away, was caused by an accident. Syrian television said the explosion was "not a terrorist act".
"There is a heatwave and temperatures reached close to 50 degrees (122F), which caused an ammunition dump to explode," one official reported.
Witnesses said the blast took place early in the morning at a military area housing a special forces unit and an infantry school in the Muslemiah area north of the city of Aleppo.
One diplomat in the Syrian capital said it was plausible for the explosion to have been triggered by the heat. "High temperatures have been the norm for a while and storage conditions could have been better to say the least," the diplomat said.
The government has intensified a campaign against what it describes as religious extremists in the past few months, including raids in the north.
Hundreds have been arrested and scores killed in confrontations with security forces.