Dozens killed, wounded in Damascus blasts: state TV

DAMASCUS: Two powerful blasts in quick succession rocked the Syrian capital at morning rush hour Thursday, killing and wounding dozens of people, state television said, blaming the attacks on "terrorists."

"Two explosions caused by terrorists took place on the freeway in the south of Damascus," the television said, adding that the blasts occurred "as people were heading to work and children to school."

Residents said the explosions rattled windows and sent plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

Television footage at the site of the blasts, which took place on a freeway in the south of the capital, showed an apocalyptic scene with charred bodies and the carcasses of vehicles with smoke still rising from them.

The report did not give a breakdown on the number of people killed and those wounded, but said most of the casualties were civilians.

An agency photographer at the site said a number of civilian cars were destroyed and buildings damaged. A crater three metres (10 feet) wide was caused by one of the explosions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said the explosions occurred at an intelligence services base in Damascus. It said at least one of the blasts was caused by a car bomb.

Damascus has been the target of a number of bombs in past months as President Bashar al-Assad faces a revolt against his regime which his forces are attempting to crush.

The blasts came a day after a bomb attack on a UN observer convoy in the southern city of Daraa, which injured six Syrian troops escorting the vehicles.

Responding to the Daraa attack, UN leader Ban Ki-moon warned Syria's government and opposition there is only a "brief window" to avoid civil war and indicated the future of the ceasefire monitoring mission was in doubt. (AFP)