Women and children seek refuge as shelling continued in the Syrian town of Deraa

Seventeen people, including 10 women, were killed in shelling in the Syrian town of Deraa, where the uprising against President Bashar Al Assad erupted 15 months ago, activists have said.

“We didn’t sleep all night, the situation is a mess, all kinds of explosions and heavy weapons,” a Deraa resident who called himself Adnan, said via Skype.

“We could hear the blast from the rockets hitting in the neighbourhood nearby. If we were afraid, you can imagine how afraid our children are.”

Women and children seek refuge as shelling continued in the Syrian town of Deraa

In the capital Damascus, once a relatively safe Al Assad stronghold, loud explosions were heard overnight after residents reported some the fiercest fighting between rebels and security forces in the city a day earlier.

The main road south from Damascus to Deraa was blocked by burning tyres and black smoke could be seen rising from the city skyline, activists said.

Activists also reported another day of heavy shelling in opposition areas of the city of Homs, the scene of some of the worst bloodshed so far.