A car bomb exploded on a main road on the outskirts of the northern city of Manbij, according to Syria's civil defense. The majority of those killed were women, and more than a dozen others sustained injuries.

A car explosion in northern Syria on Monday has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 people, according to local authorities.

The blast occurred along a main road on the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, as reported by the civil defense. Among the dead, fourteen were women and one was a man, while fifteen other women sustained injuries.

Manbij has witnessed ongoing clashes between the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed fighters since the rebellion that led to the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in December.

According to Reuters, most of those killed were women farm workers who were being transported in a vehicle near the explosion. The state news agency SANA, citing the civil defense (also known as the White Helmets), reported the incident, adding that the death toll is expected to rise.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

This explosion marks the second such incident in just three days. On Saturday, another car bomb blast in Manbij claimed the lives of four civilians and left nine others injured.

Manbij is situated in the Aleppo countryside, approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the Turkish border, with the Euphrates river to the east.