Activists: Syrian troops fire on car, 5 dead

Beirut: Activists say Syrian troops have fired on a car in the centre of the country, killing all five passengers inside.

The Local Coordination Committees activist network and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the five were traveling near the village of Khattab in the countryside of Hama province at dawn Wednesday.

The groups say that the car came under a barrage of gunfire from Syrian soldiers, but did not say why the troops had opened fire.

The activist groups also say that the death toll from a spike in violence on Tuesday has risen to 38.

The UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began nine months ago.