Azaz, Syrian (BBN) – At least 43 people have been killed in a car bomb blast in the rebel-held Syrian town of Azaz, near the Turkish border, reports say.
The explosion occurred outside a courthouse in the town, some just 7km (four miles) from the Turkish frontier, reports BBC.
Azaz has recently been targeted by so-called Islamic State (IS).
The latest blast comes amid a nationwide ceasefire – brokered by Russia and Turkey.
It has been mainly observed, despite some violations.
No group has yet said it carried out the bombing, which according to some reports may have killed as many as 60 people and injured many more.
The activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six rebels were among the dead, with the rest believed to be civilians.
IS has tried several times to take the town it originally held it in 2013.
It is a major stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army.
The town lies across from the border in the Turkish town of Kilis, and some of the casualties have been sent there for treatment, Turkish media say.
Thousands of people displaced from elsewhere in the province have settled in Azaz.
They include those from Aleppo, which the government took from the rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad late last year.
Twenty-five people were killed in a car bomb attack on rebel headquarters in November.
And 17 others died in a similar attack on a rebel checkpoint in October.
IS has been blamed for the attacks.
Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is now pushing for peace talks to be held later this month in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.
BBN/MS/SK