Syrian missile attack on market kills at least 40 people

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government troops fired 12 missiles in Douma, near Damascus

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 Smoke rises after a Syrian army helicopter strike on Darayya district in Damascus this week. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Reuters in Beirut

Friday 30 October 201504.55 EDTLast modified on Friday 30 October 201510.27 EDT

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At least 40 people have been killed and about 100 wounded after Syrian government forces fired missiles into a market near Damascus, according to a conflict monitor and a local rescue group.

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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces fired 12 missiles in Douma, 10 miles (15km) north-east of the capital.

Douma has suffered intense bombardment in recent months in a wave of strikes. The Syrian army has said the strikes have targeted insurgent groups that launched attacks on nearby government-held areas.

The Syrian Civil Defence group, which posted a picture on its Facebook page showing about a dozen bloodied bodies, said more than 45 people had died in the attack.

Many of Douma’s residents have fled the four-year-old conflict, moving to nearby rural areas. Medics say they have struggled to cope with large numbers of wounded in the intensified strikes.

A marathon day of peace talks are under way in Vienna, with Iran joining rivals Saudi Arabia and the US to try to orchestrate an end to the conflict in Syria.