Three women died and five children were hurt in a stampede inside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Friday afternoon, 10 January 2025. The children suffered severe fractures, bruises and fainting.
“A tragedy occurred, with three women dead and five children suffering severe fractures, bruises and fainting in an initial toll following a stampede inside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,” the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said in a statement. It put the blame on overcrowding at an event organized by civilians inside the mosque.
Civil Defense teams worked with other responders at the scene. They gave medical care to a young girl and recovered the body of a woman from inside the building. The toll was described as initial.
Crowds at the largest mosque in the city
Anadolu Agency reported that a large number of worshippers had come for the weekly Friday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque, the biggest in Damascus. Visitor numbers there have climbed since Bashar al-Assad’s government fell on December 8, 2024, with the jump most visible on Fridays.
Assad led Syria for nearly 25 years. He fled to Russia once anti-government groups took Damascus on that date, ending the decades-long rule of the Baath Party. The takeover followed a lightning offensive in which Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters seized key cities in less than two weeks. A new administration under Ahmed al-Sharaa now runs the country.
Sources
- Stampede at Damascus’ Umayyad Mosque leaves 3 women dead, 5 children injured
- Stampede at Damascus’ Umayyad Mosque leaves 3 women dead, 5 children injured
