Syria war: Car bomb kills 19 civilians in rebel-held town

Image source, Anadolu Agency

Image caption, The bombing took place in the rebel-held town of al-Bab

At least 19 civilians have been killed in a car bomb attack in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkish-backed rebels, first responders say.

Another 80 people were wounded when the vehicle exploded near a bus station in al-Bab, about 40km (25 miles) north-east of the city of Aleppo.

Rescuers from the White Helmets said they were still searching for survivors amid the rubble of damaged buildings.

It is not known yet who was behind the blast.

However, there have been a number of attacks in al-Bab since it was captured by rebels and Turkish troops from the Islamic State group in 2017.

A car bombing last November that left 18 people dead was blamed by Turkish authorities on the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara considers a terrorist organisation.

Image source, Anadolu Agency

Image caption, Dozens of civilians were wounded by the blast, many of them seriously

Two senior UN officials strongly condemned what they called the "horrific bombing" on Tuesday.

Imran Riza, humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, and Kevin Kennedy, regional humanitarian co-ordinator for the Syria crisis, expressed their profound condolences to the families of the victims and urged all parties to the conflict in Syria to adhere to their obligations to ensure the safety of civilians.