DHAKA: At least 21 people have been killed by an explosion that struck a bus in the southern Syrian province of Deraa, say activist groups.

‘Four children and six women [were killed] in a blast that detonated as their vehicle went past Tal al-Jumua’ in the Nawa area, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reports the BBC.

The area is in rebel-held territory but close to an army outpost.

Activists blamed regime forces for planting a bomb.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in the fighting that has ravaged Syria for two-and-a-half years - with civilians often in the firing line.

The uprising against president Bashar al-Assad’s regime began in Deraa.

The Observatory said six women were also among the victims of the overnight bus blast.

A government battalion is positioned in Tal al-Jumua, ‘and is under siege by rebel forces. Activists blamed regime troops for planting the explosives’, said the Observatory.

BDST: 1658 HRS, OCT 16, 2013
RoR/GCP