15 dead, 40 injured in regime shelling east of Damascus

Fifteen people were killed and 40 others were injured Tuesday in a Syrian regime attack on the opposition-held city of Douma, Syrian Civil Defense officials said. 

Officials told Anadolu Agency that the death toll included a number of women and children. The area sustained severe damage and was evacuated amid fears of more regime shelling. 

The Syrian regime has been besieging opposition-controlled Douma, preventing main supplies from reaching the city that has recently suffered an electric shortage because of the constant airstrikes.

At least 250,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, with 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to nearby countries.