Air raid kills five in north-western Syria

Activists say a makeshift bomb dropped from a Syrian government helicopter has killed at least five people, including two children.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory says the air raid took place Saturday in the town of Sarmeen in the north-western province of Idlib. It says the number of casualties is expected to rise.

The Observatory obtains its information from a network of activists on the ground.

The Local Coordination Committees activist group and the pro-rebel Shahba Press Agency also reported the airstrike, but provided higher death tolls. It’s common to have conflicting death tolls in the immediate aftermath of bombings.

Activists say the airstrike occurred amid clashes in the area between rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.