BEIRUT: More than 60 civilians were killed on Sunday in a strike by Syrian regime warplanes on people queueing outside a bakery in the rebel-held town of Halfaya in the central province of Hama, a watchdog said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which had earlier reported “dozens” killed, said the death toll could rise as at least 50 people had also been critically wounded.

The Local Coordination Committees activist group denounced “the massacre committed by regime forces,” and said Halfaya was going through a humanitarian crisis with food shortages because of the regime's siege of the area.

The LCC said dozens of people had been queueing outside the bakery after not having had any bread for several days.