Dozens dead in new Syria massacre

Syrian opposition groups say scores have died in what activists describe as a new massacre in the central Hama province but that the exact death toll and circumstances are impossible to confirm.

The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights said today that "dozens" were killed overnight in Mazraat al-Qubair on the outskirts of Hama.

But the group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, is still documenting names.

The Local Coordination Committees group has a far higher death toll, saying more than 78 people were killed, including many women and children.

It said pro-government militiamen known as shabiha first shelled the farming area and 10 went in and killed the residents there.

It added some of the dead were stabbed to death while other bodies have been burned.