At least 12 people have been killed and over 45 wounded in car-bomb explosion in central Damascus, according to medical sources quoted by AFP.

The blast took place near a school in an area considered the capital's main business district that features the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance.

Residents and opposition activists reported hearing many ambulance sirens and gunfire in the area. State television said shots were fired in the air to open the street to ambulances.

State-run Syrian TV described the blast as a terrorist suicide bombing, the latest in a series of car and suicide bombings to hit the Syrian capital. The last such explosion in central Damascus occurred in late February, when a suicide car bomb went off near the ruling Baath Party headquarters, reportedly killing 53 people and injuring over 200.

TV images on April 8 exposed thick layers of black smoke and several cars on fire, while at least six bodies were seen lying in the street. Paramedics carried a young woman on a stretcher into an ambulance while teenage students holding their backpacks could be seen walking away.

The scene of the deadly explosion has been covered in large plumes of smoke. A short video uploaded on the internet sheds light on the extent of the damage done to the area.

The situation in Syria remains tense. At least 70,000 people have lost their lives since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began just over two years ago, according to the UN, putting the number of displaced Syrians at over 850,000.

Image from Twitter/@FadiG_Syr

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