Umayyad Mosque stampede in Damascus leaves 4 dead, 16 injured
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A local blogger's invitation to a free food giveaway left 16 people hospitalized in the Syrian capital.
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A stampede breaks out at Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria on January 10, 2025. (Anadolu Agency)
The death toll from the stampede at Damascus' Umayyad Mosque has risen to four, according to Syrian daily al-Watan, which cited the Damascus Health Department.
On Friday, Turkish TV channel Ahaber claimed that three people had lost their lives.
According to al-Watan, the rush resulted from a local blogger's invitation to a free food giveaway.
According to the story, at least 16 individuals were hospitalized, with only one child remaining as of the evening.
UN investigators enter Syria for first time in 13 years
For the first time in over a decade, UN investigators have gained access to Syria, a significant milestone in efforts to address the atrocities committed during the war on Syria.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI) now hopes to engage directly with Syria's new rulers in their pursuit of justice.
"It is a huge surprise to be in Damascus," said Hanny Megally of the COI, expressing optimism about the development. "We hope to be able to have a good relationship with the authorities now in place."
Remote investigations
The COI, tasked with documenting crimes committed by all parties to the war, has been investigating remotely since its establishment in 2011. Interviews with thousands of refugees and defectors, combined with an extensive archive of documents, formed the basis of its work. However, the absence of access to Syria itself raised questions about the credibility and completeness of its findings.
Assad's government had consistently denied entry to the investigators, citing concerns over bias and allegations of fabrication. These concerns were rooted in the geopolitical context of the war, with Syria accusing Western powers of using investigations and human rights discourse as tools to legitimize intervention.
The Syrian authorities argued that reports often relied on opposition-linked sources and refugees, which they claimed could lead to exaggerated or fabricated allegations.
