10 killed in Damascus car bomb explosion

PanARMENIAN.Net - A powerful explosion hit Damascus on Sunday, October 21 killing 10 people on a day when the U.N. peace envoy was visiting the Syrian capital for talks with President Bashar Assad on the crisis, AP said.

An official speaking from the scene said an explosives-rigged taxi blew up 50 meters (yards) from the Bab Touma neighborhood's main police station.

He and another official said 17 had been wounded. Both insisted on anonymity because they are not allowed to make press statements.

Bab Touma, a popular attraction for shoppers, is inhabited mostly by members of Syria's Christian minority.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 10 had died and dozens were wounded, adding that it was not immediately clear if the victims and the wounded were civilians or policemen.

In another party of the city, Lakhdar Brahimi, who represents the U.N. and the Arab League, met with Assad as part of his push for a cease-fire between rebels and government forces during the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which begins Oct. 26.