Car bomb explosion in Syria, casualties feared

A booby-trapped car blew up in Syria's central province of Homs Monday, leaving an indeterminate number of victims, media reported.

The car exploded in the town of Haraqi in eastern Homs, Xinhua reported citing the official SANA news agency and activists, adding that many people were killed and wounded.

The explosion has also left huge property losses, according to SANA.

Meanwhile, activists of local coordination committees said rebel fighters downed a Syrian war jet near the military base of Shuairat in the countryside of Homs, capturing the pilot alive.

Homs, Syria's third largest city, was one of the first areas to sympathise with an anti-government movement in Syria.

The rebels there took considerable swathes of land, but government troops have stripped them of their territory over the past year.