Syrian market airstrikes: Death toll climbs to 61

Associated Press

BEIRUT – A Syrian war monitoring group says the death toll from airstrikes on a market in northern Syria the previous day has climbed to 61.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were six women, five children, and three police officers among those killed in the three strikes on Monday on the market in the opposition-held town of Atareb. The Observatory’s director, Rami Abdurrahman, says the rest were male civilians.

Yasser Hmeish, a clinician at the scene, says rescuers were still pulling bodies from the rubble on Tuesday morning.

The Observatory said it couldn’t determine whether Russia or the Syrian government was behind the attack. The opposition Syrian National Coalition accused Russia, Syrian President Bashar Assad’ chief military backer.