World Bulletin / News Desk

At least 20 people died and 55 others were wounded in a suicide attack that hit a wedding hall in civil war-torn Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakah, Syria’s state news agency SANA said Monday, citing police sources.

The casualties include women and children, said local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

The wounded were taken to nearby hospitals in the city and Kamishli, the sources added.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research, a Beirut-based NGO, has put the total death toll from the five-year conflict at more than 470,000.

AA