DAMASCUS: A suicide bomb attack in the central Damascus district of Midan killed at least nine people and wounded dozens on Friday, Syrian state television reported, blaming “terrorists”.

 The explosion took place near the Zein al-Abidin mosque, as worshippers were leaving after weekly prayers, the report said.

Footage aired on television showed gruesome images, including a severed hand, pieces of flesh and pools of blood.

White smoke could be seen rising from under a bridge near the mosque.

State television blamed “terrorists,” the term authorities use for rebels involved in an uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Earlier Friday, a separate explosion was reported near a state-owned company in an industrial zone of Damascus but it was unclear if there were any casualties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.