Gas station blast kills 5 in Syria's Homs

At least five people were killed and over 30 wounded Wednesday when an improvised rocket struck a gas station in Syria's central city of Homs, state news agency SANA reported.

The rocket is believed to have been fired by the rebels in the town of Talbiseh in the countryside of Homs into the district of Insha'at, where it struck a gas station, according to SANA.

Citing official sources, SANA said the rocket struck a fuel tanker while emptying its load in the station, which caused the blast.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog group also confirmed the blast, saying that it wasn't immediately clear whether the fuel tanker exploded by itself or a rocket struck it.

It said the death toll could rise due to the large number of severely wounded people.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Syrian forces opened their fire at rebel-held areas in the area of Houleh in the northern countryside of Homs, without information on causalities.

The jihadi militants have repeatedly stuck government controlled parts in Homs with mortar and rocket fire as well as suicide car bombing to rattle the government's grip in that city, which has been retaken by the government forces except for the sprawling al-Waer neighborhood inside the city and some towns in its countryside.

Since the conflict in Syria began more than four years ago, at least 250,000 people have been killed, including well over 10,000 children, and about 12 million forced to flee their homes. Endit