Multiple suicide bombings rock east Damascus, 19 people killed

At least 19 people were killed in a car bombing in Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, according to local medical sources.

The fatalities occurred when a bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle in Tahrir square in central Damascus, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Fifteen people were also injured in the bombing, the sources said.

The bombing struck as security forces were chasing three suspected car bombers trying to enter the capital, according to the official SANA news agency.

The agency said the two other car-bombs had been destroyed.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Syrians inspect the site of a suicide bomb attack in the capital's eastern Tahrir Square district, on July 2, 2017. (AFP)

State TV said the casualty toll had been minimized because the security forces had prevented "the terrorists from reaching their targets", saying they had aimed to target busy areas on the first day back to work after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Footage broadcast by state TV from Tahreer Square showed roads scattered with debris, several badly damaged cars, and another one that had been turned into a pile of twisted metal.

* Charred vehicles are seen on the site of a suicide bomb attack in the Syrian capital's eastern Tahrir Square district, on July 2, 2017. (AFP)

Syria has been locked in civil war since March 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, around 400,000 people have died in the conflict while half the population has been driven from their homes.

Syrians inspect the damage at the site of a suicide bomb attack in the capital's eastern Tahrir Square district, on July 2, 2017. (AFP)