Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Syria activists: Children among 78 killed

  • 35 of the victims are from one family, activists say
  • Half of the dead are women and children
  • Activists say the deaths happened after Syrian forces shelled the village

(CNN) -- At least 78 people were killed in one Syrian village Wednesday, with at least half of the dead women and children, Syrian opposition activists said.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria said the deaths happened in Qubeir, a small farming village in Hama province. They said 35 of the dead are from one family.

Ramu Aburrahman, a spokesman for the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another activist group, confirmed "dozens" of deaths in Qubeir but said he could not give a specific number "until all names have been confirmed."

An activist who was less than 2 miles from Qubeir also said that at least 78 people had been killed the village. He said he was working with others to evacuate the bodies.

Many of the bodies were burned, he said, adding that 38 were men and the rest were women and children.

A Local Coordination Committees activist near Qubeir said the Syrian army began shelling the village using tanks at 7 p.m. The shelling lasted for an hour, after which militias loyal to the regime raided the village and began executing people using knives and AK-47s, the activist said.

About 200 people live in Qubeir, which is near villages that support the regime, the activist said.

CNN's Yousuf Basil and Amir Ahmed contributed to this report.