'Ten dead' as Syrian troops open fire on funeral crowd

Syrian security forces opened fire at a funeral procession yesterday, killing at least 10 people in a city that has been besieged for days by some of the most serious violence yet in the country's four-month-old uprising, activists said.

The killings bring the death toll in Homs to about 50 people since Saturday, according to a range of activists, human rights groups and witnesses. Syria has banned independent media coverage, making it difficult to confirm accounts from witnesses or Syrian authorities.

"We haven't slept since yesterday," a Homs resident said in a telephone interview. The sharp crackle of heavy machine-gun fire could be heard in the background. "I am laying down on the floor as I talk to you. Other people are hiding in bathrooms."

He described Homs as a "ghost city", with most people holed up inside their homes.