About 220 Syrians, mostly civilians, were killed in a village in the rebellious Hama region when it was bombarded by helicopter gunships and tanks then stormed by militiamen who slaughtered some families, opposition sources said.

International envoy Kofi Annan says he is "shocked and appalled" by reports of a mass killing in the Syrian village of Tremseh.

Activists have posted a video which they say shows the bodies of 15 men who were among dozens killed in heavy government shelling of a farming village in central Syria.