21 Sep 2012

Barrel of explosives 'kills 30' in Syria

7:19 pm on 21 September 2012

Opposition groups say at least 30 people died when the Syrian air force dropped a barrel of explosives on a petrol station in the north of Syria.

Dozens of people are said to have been injured in the attack near Ain Issa, close to the Turkish border.

Activists have described as a terrible massacre, the BBC reports.

They have released a video they say shows clouds of smoke rising from the wreckage of the petrol station and several charred vehicles. It cannot be independently verified.

Seventy people are reported to have been taken to hospital in the nearby town of Raqqa.

One activist told AFP the filling station was the only one still operating in the area and had been crowded at the time of the explosion.

The village is 32 kilometres from the Tal al-Abyad border post, seized by rebels on Wednesday after a lengthy battle with government forces.