By Mohamed Misto 

DAMASCUS 

At least 61 civilians were killed in regime airstrikes across Syria on Tuesday, in the bloodiest day since the cessation of hostilities agreement between the Assad regime and opposition groups came into effect in February. 

Forty-seven people were killed after a regime warplane struck a marketplace in Maarat al-Numan in the northwestern province of Idlib, civil defense official Omar Alwan told Anadolu Agency. 

The same warplane, Alwan said, also targeted a residential area in the nearby town of Kafr Nabl, leaving five people dead. 

Nine people were also killed in another regime raid in Bala town in the Eastern Ghouta district of Rif Dimashq province. 

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings – with unexpected ferocity. 

According to a tally compiled by Anadolu Agency, more than 361,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted. 

According to Omar Alwan, a civil defense official based in Maarat al-Numan, 28 civilians were killed and another 33 injured when a Syrian warplane struck a marketplace in Maarat al-Numan.

The same warplane, Alwan said, also targeted a residential area of the nearby town of Kafr Nabl, leaving five people dead and 12 wounded.

Civil defense teams rushed to the targeted areas in an effort to assist survivors.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

According to a tally compiled by Anadolu Agency, more than 361,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted.