Violence rages on as UN chief says Syria violations 'unacceptable'

Violence continued in Syria on Friday with at least 88 people, including 13 children, killed after government loyalists tried to break into the town of Houla in Homs province, activists said.

An amateur video posted online by activists showed more than a dozen bodies lined up inside a room. They included about 10 children who were covered with sheets that only showed their bloodied faces.

They said scores were wounded in the violence in Houla, as government forces shelled and attacked the town.

If the toll is right, it would be one of the bloodiest attacks in one area since a nominal truce began in April.

At least 20 others were killed in violence elsewhere in Syria on Friday, according to activists, after tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets after prayers.

In Houla, activists said some of those who died were butchered by government militia, others killed in shelling or summary executions.

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC) said at least 88 people had died, "most of them women and children".

The Syrian National Council urged the UN Security Council to act urgently after it said more than 110 people died.

Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the opposition controlled "significant parts of some cities".

In a letter to the Security Council, Ban said the situation remained "extremely serious" and urged states not to arm either side in the conflict.

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, blamed the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, for much of the "unacceptable levels of violence and abuses" occurring every day in the 14-month-long crisis in Syria.

In a report to the UN Security Council, issued on Friday, Ban cited the government's continued use of heavy weapons, reports of shelling and "a stepped-up security crackdown by the authorities that has led to massive violations of human rights by government forces and pro-government militias".

Ban, who is scheduled to brief the council on Wednesday, said there had only been "small progress" on implementing the six-point joint UN-Arab League plan brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan.

The UN chief called on the government to keep its pledge to immediately stop the violence, pull heavy weapons and troops out of populated areas, allow humanitarian workers to help civilians in need and end human rights abuses.

Ban also called on all elements of the opposition to stop the violence and respect human rights.

The secretary-general said 271 of 300 unarmed UN military observers authorised by the council to help end the conflict were on the ground.

Their deployment in key cities appeared to have had a "calming effect", he said.

Nonetheless, "the overall level of violence in the country remains quite high"' with daily incidents causing a large number of deaths and injuries, though at a lower scale than immediately before April 12 when a ceasefire was supposed to take effect.

"While the international effort is making some impact on the ground, unacceptable levels of violence and abuses are continuing in violation of ... the six-point plan,"' Ban said.

He said the situation posed "serious challenges"' for the UN mission and the observers, who had been threatened and targeted, with their vehicles damaged and their movements restricted by crowds.

"This is a source of grave concern, and underscores the need to carefully consider the United Nations presence and next steps, taking into account the volatile and evolving security environment," Ban said.

International media cannot report freely in Syria and it is impossible to verify reports of violence.

The UN says at least 10,000 have been killed since an uprising began in March 2011 against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.