At least 55 killed in new Syria massacre—NGO

BEIRUT—At least 55 people, mostly from the same family, have been killed in a new massacre in Syria, the head of a watchdog told AFP on Thursday.

“There are 49 confirmed and identified victims in Al-Kubeir, the majority of them from the Al-Yateem family,” said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“Among the dead are 18 women and children,” added the head of the Britain-based group.

He said six other people were also killed on Wednesday in a village near Al-Kubeir, which is located at a farming area northwest of the central city of Hama.

Earlier tolls from opposition groups had put the death toll at between 87 and 100.

Both the Observatory and the opposition Syrian National Council have blamed the massacre on militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which denied involvement.

The government said a “terrorist group” was behind an assault in Al-Kubeir that it said left nine people dead.