Deadly explosion rocks Syria's Hama city, at least 16 killed
DAMASCUS - At least 16 people have been killed and half a dozen residential structures badly damaged Thursday in a massive explosion in the central Syrian city of Hama, blamed on rebels, according to state-run news agency SANA.
But activists contradicted the official version saying security forces Wednesday fired a rocket at the building, killing dozens of people, even as some counts put the death toll at 70.
Independently confirming either of the conflicting versions was impossible because President Bashar Assad's government has restricted access for journalists and other outside witnesses to Syria, battling a bloody 13-month-old revolt.
"An improvised explosive blew up last (Wednesday) evening while it was being prepared, as part of a systematic escalation supported by regional and international powers using the tool of armed terrorist groups aimed at sabotaging international envoy Kofi Annan's mission," the state news agency SANA said.
Videos of the Wednesday incident posted by activists showed plumes of smoke rising from a building.
Another clip showed people searching the debris and body of an injured girl, perhaps alive, being carried through a crowd of mourning people.
Activists said 13 children and 15 women were among the dead due to the blast caused by government shelling or even a "Scud missile" attack.
The blast comes even as UN monitors are in the county to observe the shaky truce brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan.
Hama, a hotbed of the revolt against Assad's rule and a known opposition stronghold, has two UN observers stationed there. They form part of a small advance team, ahead of a group of 300 that the UN would like to deploy there.
Unabated violence has been reported across Syria even as the ceasefire began earlier this month making the international community increasingly impatient with the Assad rule.
France Wednesday said the UN should consider "harsher measures" if a peace plan by Annan failed in persuading Assad to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from cities.
Raising the possibility of a military intervention, France said the UN Security Council should consider use of force in Syria.
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