Two children among 7 dead after car bomb tears through Syria market during Ramadan

At least seven people were killed in Syria after a car bomb went off in a busy marketplace while residents were out shopping after breaking their fast in the Muslim month of Ramadan.

The blast took place in the town of Azaz in Aleppo province near the Turkish border on Saturday evening.

At least 30 people were also injured in the explosion which tore through the central market.

When the bomb went off, residents were buying clothes and gifts for children ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan.

“It’s timing comes with heavy congestion by shoppers,” Yaseen Shalabi, a resident who was near the site of the explosion shopping with his family, told Reuters.

Video footage of the aftermath showed bodies on the ground, damaged buildings and the remnants of a car on fire.

The White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group which operates in Syria, said two children were among the dead.

It is unclear who was responsible for the attack.

The town of Azaz, a strategically important location in the civil war, has been run by Syrian rebel groups backed by Turkey, which is opposed to Syrian president Bashar al Assad.

It is home to the Syrian interim government, which claims to be the legitimate government of the country.

Main towns in the northwestern border area have in recent years been frequently hit by bombings detonated in crowded civilian areas.

In 2017, more than 40 people were killed when a car bomb was detonated outside the town’s courthouse.