Sunday, August 16, 2015

Air strikes near Damascus kill at least 58 people, wound more than 200

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes struck a rebel-held area to the northeast of Damascus on Sunday, killing at least 58 people and wounding more than 200 more, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said the attack had hit a marketplace in Douma, some 15 km (10 miles) northeast of Damascus. Another activist group in the area said on social media that the death toll was 67, quoting emergency workers.

A Syrian military source said the air force had carried out strikes in Douma and the nearby area of Harasta, saying these had targeted headquarters of the rebel group Islam Army.