70 civilians killed near Damascus Syria

At least 70 people were killed Aug. 16 in a string of Syrian government air strikes on a marketplace in Douma, a rebel-held town near Damascus, a monitoring group said.

At least 200 people were injured, with the death toll -- most of them civilians -- likely to rise as many of the wounded were in serious condition, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"The regime carried out four air strikes against a market in the centre of Douma," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

"The preliminary information suggests most of the dead are civilians," he added.

Abdel Rahman said locals had gathered at the site after the first strike to help evacuate the wounded when more raids struck.