(DAMASCUS, Syria) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed vehicle in a busy residential and commercial district in central Damascus on Monday, killing at least 15 people and sending a huge cloud of black smoke billowing over the capital's skyline, Syrian state-run media said. The explosion came as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said inspectors were ready to deploy within 24 hours to Syria to investigate reports of chemical weapon attacks but have not yet received permission from President Bashar Assad's government. Monday's blast, described by state-run Syrian TV as a terrorist suicide bombing, went off near the Sabaa Bahrat Square, one of the capital's biggest roundabouts. The Syrian central bank, the Finance Ministry and state-run investment agency, a mosque and a school are located nearby. The explosion also wounded at least 53 people, according to Syrian state TV. (PHOTOS: The Syrian Civil War: Photographs by Alessio Romenzi) It was the latest in a series of car bombs and suicide bombings to hit the Syrian capital in recent months. The two-year civil war, which the U.N. says has killed more than 70,000 people, has become increasingly chaotic as rebels press closer to Assad's seat of power in Damascus after seizing large swaths of territory in the northern and eastern parts of the country. TV images showed thick black smoke billowing in a wide street with several cars on fire. At least six bodies were seen lying on the pavement. Paramedics carried a young woman lying on a stretcher, her face bloodied, into an ambulance. Shaken teenage students holding their backpacks were seen walking away. The TV said the blast occurred near the Bukhari School. Among the buildings damaged was the state-run Syrian Investment Agency. Several cars in the building's parking lot were set ablaze in the explosion. Witnesses said a suicide attacker tried to storm the building with his vehicle but was stopped by guards. He then detonated his explosives outside the building. "I was in the square when I heard a strong explosion that threw me on the ground," said(http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&blog=19871253&post=80286&subd=timeglobalspin&ref=&feed=1)
Via: TIME GlobalSpin