Syrian Warplane Crashes In Idlib, Killing At Least 27, Injuring Several People: Reports

Update as of 6:42 a.m. EDT: At least 27 people have been killed and dozens wounded after a Syrian army fighter jet crashed into a marketplace in the Syrian town of Ariha in Idlib province, Reuters reported, citing residents and witnesses. The report added that most of those dead were civilians on the ground.

"The plane had dropped a bomb on the main Bazaar street at low altitude only seconds before it crashed," Ghazal Abdullah, a resident who was close to the incident, told Reuters.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence across Syria, reportedly said that the plane was not shot down.

Original story:

Air raids and the crash of a Syrian warplane in a residential area in the country's northwestern town of Ariha Monday killed and injured several people, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees reportedly said. According to the activists, the area was under attack by the air forces of the embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad at the time of the crash.

According to the Local Coordination Committees, the warplane crashed into a busy market in Ariha. However, it was not clear if the plane was shot down. The crash destroyed several homes in the middle of the town and killed at least 12 people, Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Ariha, in the northwestern Idlib province, was reportedly captured by opposition fighters and Islamic militants in May, after being a stronghold of the government forces. The Syrian government has suffered several setbacks in the province since March, including the loss of the province's capital, also known as Idlib.

The AP report also referred to an amateur video posted by activists, showing several damaged buildings and parts of the plane that crashed.

The Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011, has killed over 220,000 people and wounded at least 1 million, the AP reported, citing estimates from the United Nations.

Last September, a Syrian military plane crashed in the northeastern city of Raqqa and claimed the lives of at least 8 people. The crash also prompted many to flee the region, fearing U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State group militants.