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Damascus explosion death toll rises to seven

Another 22 people were taken to the hospital with injuries

BEIRUT, July 2. /TASS/. At least seven people were killed in an explosion that occurred near the Palace of Justice in downtown Damascus, Ahmad Bakkour, director of the Ambulance and Emergency Services at the Syrian Health Ministry, said.

According to him, another 22 people were taken to the hospital with injuries. "Several of them are in serious condition," he added.

Earlier reports put the death toll at four, with 11 people injured.

Police and security forces have cordoned off the explosion site in Al-Hijaz Square.

General Osama Atika, head of the Damascus Department of Internal Security, told Al-Ikhbariya TV that the blast had rocked a cafe near the Palace of Justice.

According to Atika, rumors on social media that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber are untrue. The general said the bomb had been planted in the cafe in advance and later detonated.

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