Syria: Bomb blast outside Damascus shrine wounds several people

A car bomb exploded near a prominent shrine in Damascus on Thursday, killing several people and wounding others, according to Syrian state media. 

The bomb was planted in a taxi and exploded outside the Sayeda Zeinab shrine south of Damascus.

As many as six people may have died, Syrian state television reported. The number of people wounded remains unclear. 

Scores of pilgrims have gathered at the shrine in recent days as part of mourning rituals by Shia Muslims for the Ashura religious commemoration. 

Earlier this week, two people were wounded after a blast outside the same shrine. 

Video footage of Thursday's blast posted on social media, which Middle East Eye was unable to verify, showed people fleeing the scene and carrying the wounded to safety. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

According to Shia tradition, the site is where Zeinab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is buried. Shia Muslims from around the world regularly visit the mausoleum on religious pilgrimage. 

In recent years, several bomb attacks have taken place near or outside the shrine. Sixty people were killed and over 100 injured in January 2016 after three separate bombings near the site.