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Syria Qubair massacre: Village empty, houses gutted Syria Qubair: Bloody traces of massacre seen in village
(39 minutes later)
UN monitors have reached the village of Qubair in western Syria where a massacre took place on Wednesday, says a BBC reporter travelling with them. The smell of burnt flesh and evidence of bloodshed have greeted a BBC correspondent entering the village of Qubair in Syria, scene of a massacre.
Our correspondent, who has just arrived with the main convoy, has seen gutted buildings but no signs of people in the tiny village. Our correspondent, travelling with UN monitors, found buildings gutted and burnt, but no sign of people in the tiny village near the city of Hama.
Condemning the massacre earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned of an imminent danger of civil war. Violence continues across Syria, with reports that the central city of Homs came under heavy shelling.
Between nine and 78 people are said to have been killed in Wednesday's attack. Elsewhere, state TV reported two deadly car bomb attacks.
Condemning the Qubair massacre earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned of an imminent danger of civil war and the international peace envoy, Kofi Annan, said his six-point peace plan was not being implemented.
As many as 78 people are said to have been killed in the Qubair attack.
The opposition blamed it on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians.The opposition blamed it on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians.
Clandestine activists say government forces removed many of the bodies while the UN observers were being hindered from reaching the village on Thursday, coming under fire at one stage.Clandestine activists say government forces removed many of the bodies while the UN observers were being hindered from reaching the village on Thursday, coming under fire at one stage.
The BBC's Paul Danahar has seen the carcass of a donkey outside one burnt-out building. The UN have not found any people yet, he says. UN monitors finally reached Qubair on Friday, with the BBC's Paul Danahar accompanting them.
Lebanese scenario?Lebanese scenario?
Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades.Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades.
The militiamen accused of the killings are known as shabiha, and are from the minority Alawite community of President Bashar al-Assad. The militiamen accused of the killings are known as shabiha, and are mainly from the minority Alawite community of President Bashar al-Assad.
We are here. In front of a burnt-out building is the carcass of a donkey. Inside, the buildings are gutted. The UN have not found any people yet.We are here. In front of a burnt-out building is the carcass of a donkey. Inside, the buildings are gutted. The UN have not found any people yet.
There are a handful of small, squat buildings. One seems to have a hole blown out by an RPG. The largest of the two houses on the hilltop has been gutted by fire. The stench of burnt flesh is still strong. In front of me there is a piece of brain, in the corner there is a mass on congealed blood.
The villlage is just a few single-storey flat-roofed buildings set in the middle of golden corn fields. The village is just a few single-storey flat-roofed buildings set in the middle of golden corn fields.
The victims appear to be mostly Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population.The victims appear to be mostly Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population.
Mr Ban warned late on Thursday that the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real". Speaking at the UN in New York on Thursday, Mr Ban warned the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real".
He told a joint news conference with peace envoy Kofi Annan and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi that reports from Qubair underscored "the horrifying reality on the ground". While the Annan plan remained the focus of peace efforts, he said, urgent talks were needed on how further to proceed.
"How many more times have we to condemn them, and how many ways must we say that we are outraged?" he asked. "The Syrian people are bleeding."
And while reiterating that Mr Annan's six-point peace plan remained "at the centre of our focus", he said urgent talks were needed to discuss how to proceed further.
The US is demanding decisive action, and Mr Annan is pushing for a contact group of key nations to raise pressure for an end to the violence.The US is demanding decisive action, and Mr Annan is pushing for a contact group of key nations to raise pressure for an end to the violence.
But in a news conference in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin refused to answer repeated questions about whether his government would support the initiative.But in a news conference in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin refused to answer repeated questions about whether his government would support the initiative.
"We believe that the importance of envoy Annan's mediation efforts has not diminished but rather increased," he said."We believe that the importance of envoy Annan's mediation efforts has not diminished but rather increased," he said.
China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria. Both China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria and have restated their opposition to outside military intervention in the conflict.
Russia is a long-standing ally of the Damascus government, while China has repeatedly stated its opposition to foreign intervention in internal conflicts. 'Homs shelled'
Meanwhile, violence is continuing across Syria. On Friday, clandestine activists said government forces had resumed shelling the Khaldiyeh area of Homs, which is controlled by rebels.
On Friday, activists said government forces had resumed shelling the city of Homs, where they were engaged in a battle to try to retake districts controlled by rebels. "Khaldiyeh is being subjected to five to 10 shells a minute in the worst shelling since the revolution began," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.
About 200 people are said to have died on Wednesday and Thursday this week. A car bomb in the north-western city of Idlib killed two police officers and three civilians, wounding others, state TV said. A second car bomb in Rif Dimashq, near Damascus, killed three police officers and caused injuries, it added.
About 200 people are said to have died on Wednesday and Thursday, in figures which could not be confirmed independently.
The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In April, the Syrian government reported that 6,143 Syrian citizens had been killed by "terrorist groups".The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In April, the Syrian government reported that 6,143 Syrian citizens had been killed by "terrorist groups".
The UN has 297 unarmed observers in Syria to verify the implementation of Mr Annan's six-point plan. It includes a ceasefire, which was supposed to have taken effect in mid-April. The UN has 297 unarmed observers in Syria to verify the implementation of Mr Annan's plan.