BEIRUT: More than 30 people, both civilians and pro-regime militiamen, were killed Monday in a suicide car bombing in the town of Salmiyeh in the central province of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A high-ranking regime official confirmed to AFP that dozens were killed in the attack, which the Britain-based Observatory said targeted a building used by loyalist paramilitary fighters.

The watchdog gave an initial toll of "30 members of the armed pro-regime people's committees killed in a car bomb in front of their headquarters in Salmiyeh in eastern Hama province."

Citing medical sources, the Observatory said there were civilians among the dead and the number of fatalities could rise well over 50 with dozens wounded or in critical condition.

State news agency SANA also reported the second blast, saying that "a terrorist suicide car bomb was detonated in the heart of Salmiyeh, leaving a number of people killed and others wounded".

It said that the wounded were being transported to area hospitals.