Twin car bombs in Damascus kill 34

Twin car bombs ripped through a Damascus suburb on Wednesday, killing at least 34 people and 83 wounded, according to state media and hospital officials.

The state news agency, SANA, said two cars packed with explosives detonated early in the morning in the eastern Jaramana suburb, a district that is mostly loyal to President Bashar Assad. The area is populated mostly by Christians and Druse, a minority sect.

Wednesday's car bombs went off in a parking lot located between two commercial buildings. They were Detonated within five minutes of one another as groups of laborers and employees were arriving to work.

The blasts shattered windows in nearby buildings, littering the street with glass and debris. Human remains were scattered on the pavement amid pools of blood.

There were, however, conflicting reports about the death toll.

Two hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 30 bodies were brought to two nearby hospitals. The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on reports from the ground, said 29 people were killed.

The different tolls could not immediately be reconciled. The regime restricts independent media coverage.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bombings.

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