Six injured in northern town as shell falls on house

AMMAN — Six Jordanians from one family were injured on Thursday after an illuminating shell from Syria fell on a house in the northern town of Ramtha, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reporting, quoting an official source.

The source said the shell fell on a house on the way between Turra and Ramtha, pointing out that six citizens were injured, as a result of the incident, five of whom were slightly injured while the injury of the sixth person was listed as moderate. 

The injured were transferred first to Ramtha public hospital before they were transferred to King Abdullah I University Hospital in the area.

The director of the university hospital, Ibrahim Bani Hani, said all were in good condition after receiving the necessary treatment. 

They were identified as Awad Makhadmeh, the father, and his sons Mohammad, Nijim, Bashar, Maher and Yazan. 

According to the official source the shell fell in the wake of clashes that took place between conflicting parties in Syria. 

An examination of the site by forensic experts showed that the projectile hit a wall and fell in the courtyard of the house, where the family was spending its evening. 

He added that the security council, chaired by Irbid’s Governor Saad Shihab was in session to follow up on the conditions in Ramtha where officials are in the field for that purpose.

A number of stray shells have hit the northern town of Ramtha and nearby villages near the Syrian border over the past few months. 

In late June, a bombshell hit a house in Ramtha city killing a 23-year-old man and injuring four others. 

Following the incident, officials said they were working to identify the source of the attack to respond in the “proper way”.

Residents of the border towns in the north have always complained of “sleepless nights” due to the proximity of the intense clashes between the Syrian army and the armed opposition near the border.