Massive explosion in Damascus, casualties reported: Monitor

Beirut: An explosion rocked a southeastern neighbourhood of Syria's capital today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitor said it was unclear what had caused the blast in the Midan district of Damascus.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that one woman was killed in the blast, but it remained unclear whether she was a suicide bomber or a bystander.

Although rebel groups have fired rockets and mortar rounds into the capital, explosions inside the city itself are rare.

Syrian state news agency SANA said there were preliminary reports about a "terrorist explosion at the Midan police station in Damascus".

According to pro-government daily Al-Watan, the blast left "the female suicide bomber dead and wounded three police officers from the station".

In early 2012, a suicide bomber killed 26 people when he blew himself up in Midan.

More than 310,000 people have died since Syria's conflict broke out in 2011.