Updated | Palmyra’s Temple of Bel ‘still standing’

Syria's antiquities chief has said that Palmyra's ancient Temple of Bel is still standing despite an attempt by Islamic State (IS) militants to blow it up.

Maamoun Abdulkarim confirmed there was a large explosion within its perimeter but that the basic structure of the 2,000-year-old site was intact. However, the extent of the damage is unclear with witnesses unable to get close to the temple.

Initial reports said the site had been partially destroyed however, Abdulkarim, head of the Syrian Department of Antiquities and Museums, said "our information is provisional, but it indicates that any damage done was partial, and the basic structure is still standing".

Abdulkarim says that the explosion at the Temple of Bel was "different" to the "huge quantity of explosives" used to destroy the Temple of Baalshamin last week.

However, he said they would have to wait for pictures to emerge as "witnesses can't get close enough to be sure what damage was done."

It was several days after the initial reports of the destruction of the Temple of Baalshamin that IS itself put out pictures showing its militants blowing up the site. One Palmyra resident earlier told the Associated Press news agency there had been "total destruction" at the Temple of Bel.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said parts of the ancient temple had been destroyed.

The group has ransacked and demolished several similar sites in the parts of neighbouring Iraq which they overran last year, destroying priceless ancient artefacts.

The BBC reports that the militants seized control of Palmyra in May, sparking fears for the world-famous Greco-Roman ruins, in the desert north-east of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The modern city of Palmyra - known locally as Tadmur - is situated in a strategically important area on the road between the Syrian capital, Damascus, and the eastern city of Deir al-Zour.

The ancient city was a major cultural centre and is a Unesco World Heritage site.

The temple of Bel is dedicated to the Palmyrene gods and was one of the best preserved parts of the site.

The BBC reports that for the extremists, any representation implying the existence of a god other than theirs is sacrilege and idolatry.