Dozens of people have been killed in the central Syrian city of Homs, activists say.
The violence followed sectarian killings this week that raised tensions between majority Sunni residents and the minority Alawite sect.
A witness, who declined to be named, said he saw dozens of civilian bodies at the National Hospital which is under the control of the security forces. The circumstances of their deaths were unclear.
Activists said a further 19 people were killed in tank shelling of the Bab Amro district, a hotbed of pro-democracy protests against President Bashar al-Assad, and in shooting by security forces elsewhere in Homs.
Syria has banned independent media from Homs, making it hard to verify events on the ground and reports of bloodshed.
Local activists said forces loyal to Assad shot dead at least 11 Sunni Muslim villagers they had stopped at a roadblock northwest of Homs on Wednesday.
Assad is a member of the minority Alawite sect which dominates power in Sunni-majority Syria.
There was no independent confirmation of the killings, but they follow a report by an activist in Homs that nine Alawites had been dragged from a bus and killed near the city on Tuesday.
