DHAKA: A Syrian government warplane has crashed in a marketplace in the north-western town of Ariha, killing at least 23 people.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) activist group said the crash occurred amid bombing raids, reports the BBC.

Ariha was one of the last government strongholds in Idlib when it was captured by Islamist rebels in May.

The fall of Ariha left most of Idlib province, bordering Turkey, in rebel hands.

Separately, Airwars, a journalist group that archives the US-led coalition’s air campaign against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, said that credible reports showed at least 489 civilians had been killed in the air strikes since August last year.

The SOHR said dozens more had been injured in the incident. It is not clear whether the plane was shot down or crashed for another reason.

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of opposition activists, posted an image online of what it said was the aftermath of the crash, showing huge damage to the marketplace and surrounding buildings.

It said people were working to find survivors under the rubble and remove bodies.

BDST: 2043 HRS, AUG 03, 2015
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