Weekend’s deaths reach 134 in Syria

The United Nations said Monday that at least 134 people, including many children, were killed over the weekend in northern Syria.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at least 59 civilians, including 17 children, were killed when a weapons and ammunition depot exploded in a residential building near the town of Sarmada.

A Syrian search-and-rescue group put the total death toll from the blast at 67. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a slightly higher death toll, saying 69 died, including 17 children. The Observatory said 52 of the victims were civilians; the rest were militants or couldn’t be identified.

The discrepancies in the death toll couldn’t immediately be reconciled.

Citing the U.N. children’s agency, Haq said another 28 children were killed over the previous 36 hours in other incidents. He said three UNICEF-supported health facilities were attacked and that two are now out of service.

Haq said hostilities in three towns led local authorities to suspend all school activities for three days.

He said the information he shared Monday came from U.N. humanitarian officials inside Syria.

The Syrian government has been sending reinforcements to northern Syria ahead of an expected assault on Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in the country.