Syrian Arms Depot Blast Kills 40

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube appears to show the explosion at the Homs ammo depot.

A monitoring group says at least 40 people have been killed and dozens injured in an ammunitions depot blast in a government-held area of Homs in central Syria apparently sparked by rebel rocket fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rocket fire followed the government's capture on July 31 of the Khaldiyeh district of Homs, which had been in the hands of mainly Sunni rebels for the past two years.

The rockets crashed into Wadi al-Zaha, Akruma, and Al-Nozha, all districts in southern Homs inhabited mainly by members of President's Bashar al-Assad's Alawite community.

Video footage posted on the Internet by activists showed a huge ball of fire over Homs neighborhoods.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa