Syria shells Deir al-Zor for second day, 20 dead: activists

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian tanks and artillery shelled the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Monday, killing at least 20 people in the second day of heavy bombardment in the country's main oil-producing region, opposition activists said.

"Regime forces have dismantled their roadblocks from inside of Deir al-Zor after incurring heavy losses from rebels. They have withdrawn from residential areas and are now shelling the city from the outskirts. The victims are mostly civilians," a source at a hospital in Deir al-Zor told Reuters.

Syrian authorities have barred most independent media from the country, making difficult independent verification of events on the ground.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Amman newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens)