Activists fear hundreds dead in Syria blasts

DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Huge explosions were heard near a Syrian air force compound near Damascus, and opposition leaders said Tuesday they fear hundreds of people may have died.

However, the death toll from the overnight explosions remained unclear, CNN reported.

"We fear that hundreds of regime forces have been killed in this attack because the compound hosts a large number of regime forces," Rami Abdulrahman of the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told CNN. "We also fear for the lives of hundreds if not thousands of anti-government detainees that are being held in the basements of the air force security compound."

The blasts from twin car bombs were part of an onslaught of explosions, gunfire and shelling reported in the Damascus area early Tuesday, residents and activists said.

"This is the largest blast I have ever felt since the uprising began," opposition activist Omar al-Khani said.

Activists said "heavy and indiscriminate" shelling in the Damascus suburb of Harasta killed at least one person and destroyed several homes, CNN reported.

The opposition group Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported at least 25 unidentified bodies were found burned in Daraya, another Damascus suburb.

The LLC said at least 31 people were killed in fighting across Syria Tuesday.

Reports of casualties or violence cannot be confirmed because the Syrian government has restricted access by international journalists.