Syrian fighter jets blasted the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, killing at least 49 people including 29 children, rescuers said.
UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi pressed for a truce during a key Muslim holiday later this month, while the UN’s human rights chief appealed to the Security Council for unity over the crisis.
Rescuers said bombs destroyed two residential buildings and a mosque, where many women and children had been taking refuge, in the strategic northwestern town. Among those killed was a nine-month-old baby.
Rebels captured the town on October 9 in a push to create a buffer zone along the Turkish border.
“We have recovered 44 corpses from under the rubble,” one worker said.
In a makeshift field hospital, the correspondent saw at least 32 bodies wrapped in white sheets, including six children and many mutilated corpses, as well as plastic bags marked “body parts.”