Attack on rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus also injures more than 200 in one of the deadliest single incidents since war began five years ago
Syrian government warplanes attacked a busy market in a rebel-held suburb of the capital, Damascus, killing at least 82 people and wounding more than 200 in one of the deadliest single incidents involving air strikes since the conflict began nearly five years ago, activists have said.
Syrian government air raids on rebel-held areas throughout the country have killed thousands over the past few years.
The strike on the market in Douma occurred during rush hour on Sunday when people were out shopping on the first working day of the week in Syria, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“This is an official massacre that was carried out deliberately,” said Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the organisation. He said warplanes fired the first missile and minutes later, when people gathered in the aftermath, another missile hit the same area.
Abdurrahman, whose group has a network of activists around the country and has been found to offer reliable statistics in the past, said four missiles were fired on the market, killing 82 and wounding more than 200. He said the death toll is expected to rise because many of the wounded are in critical condition.
The Local Coordination Committees, another activist network, said the air strikes killed at least 100 and wounded about 300, adding that rescue workers were digging through the rubble in search of survivors.
Discrepancies in death tolls immediately after an attack are not uncommon in Syria.
“The situation is catastrophic,” said a Douma-based activist who goes by the name of Mazen al-Shami . He said clinics in the area were full and many of the wounded were being rushed in civilian cars to other medical facilities since ambulances were overwhelmed.
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/16/syrian-government-air-strikes-market-kill-many-douma
