Three women have died, and five children sustained fractures, severe bruises, and fainting, based on initial reports, following a stampede during an event at the Umayyad Mosque in the capital, Damascus.

An Enab Baladi reporter in Damascus stated that the mosque witnessed overcrowding following Friday prayers on January 10, due to a food gathering organized by Syrian chef “Abu Omar.”

The reporter added that the stampede occurred concurrently with Friday prayers, leading to fatalities, after which police forces and military personnel established barriers and barricades to disperse the gatherings and organize movement.

The Syria Civil Defence reported that three women died, and five children suffered fractures, severe bruises, and fainting, in an initial toll, describing the incident as a “tragedy.”

Deaths due to stampede inside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus – January 10, 2025 (Enab Baladi/Anas al-Khouli)

It was noted that the incident occurred amid significant overcrowding due to the civilian-organized event, adding that its teams responded along with other units, providing first aid to a girl and retrieving the body of a woman from the mosque.

Deaths due to stampede inside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus – January 10, 2025 (Enab Baladi/Anas al-Khouli)

Days prior, the chef had invited people through his social media accounts to the food gathering, posting recordings of the preparations, requesting assistance from restaurant owners to provide cooks and large utensils, and promoting it through several videos.

Activists and local social media pages criticized the holding of the event in the mosque without coordination with local authorities, describing what happened as “chaos, exploitation, and a desire for publicity.” Enab Baladi could not verify the existence or absence of coordination.

Since the fall of the Syrian regime and Bashar al-Assad’s escape to Russia on December 8, 2024, Syrians have organized events in public squares across most Syrian provinces, in coordination with the Military Operations Administration and local operating authorities.

On the first Friday after the fall of the regime, on December 13, the caretaker Prime Minister of Damascus government, Mohammed al-Bashir, led Friday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, delivering a sermon from its pulpit, while several Syrian and non-Syrian religious, political, and military figures visited the mosque.

After the fall of the regime, incidents of death and injury continue, especially from landmines left by its forces and Iranian militias, which still claim the lives of Syrians, amid ongoing warnings from organizations about the need for caution and vigilance.