Activists say Syrian army airstrikes kill at least 45 people in embattled Aleppo province

Syrian activists say at least 45 people have been killed, most of them civilians, and scores of others wounded in Syrian army airstrikes that struck civilian areas in the northern province of Aleppo.

The deaths occurred in two separate incidents when helicopters dropped explosives-filled barrels that struck civilian areas Saturday. One of the so-called barrel bombs hit the rebel-held Shaar neighborhood of the city of Aleppo, while the other hit a busy market in the town of al-Bab, which is held by the Islamic State group.

Both the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees reported the casualties. Both groups document violence through a network of activists on the ground in Syria.

The local news network called the Aleppo Media Center also reported the attacks.