190603 Azaz
People try to extinguish a fire at the site of a car bomb blast in Azaz, Syria June 2, 2019. Image Credit: Reuters

Azaz, Syria - At least 19 people were killed Sunday in a car bomb near a bustling market and mosque in a rebel-held city in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.

Four children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, in the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.

“Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,” Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.

Shoppers buying clothes and gifts ahead of Eid Al Fitr holiday were among those killed, said Jihad Berro, a coroner at a local hospital.

He said the medical facility was crammed with victims and their relatives.

“The emergency rooms were full, we placed corpses on the floor,” he said.

“It is a real catastrophe before the Eid Al Fitr holiday,” said Berro.