A Syrian rights group says two explosions killed at least 52 people Tuesday at the University of Aleppo, in Syria's largest city.
The Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA there has been no claim of responsibility for the blasts and that the death toll is expected to rise.
Syrian state television described the explosions as a "terrorist attack," but did not give further details or specify the number of victims.
The cause of the explosions was not clear but the government and opposition activists blamed each other.
Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub, has been wracked by violence since rebels launched an all-out assault on the city in July 2012. The university lies in government-controlled territory.
Syrian security personnel, members of the civil defence and civilians gather at the site where a large blast hit a neighborhood of Aleppo, January 18, 2013.
A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover at a suburb of Damascus, January 17, 2013.
Residents stand near buildings damaged by missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet in Daraya, January 17, 2013.
A Free Syrian Army fighter holds a rifle in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus, January 15, 2013.
Syrians gather at the scene of an explosion outside Aleppo University, between the university dormitories and the architecture facility, January 15, 2013.
A street vendor sells cotton candy in Aleppo, January 15, 2013.
A woman walks near a crater caused by missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet near Idlib, January 15, 2013.
Buildings in Erbeen, near Damascus, damaged by missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet, January 15, 2013.
Internally displaced Syrian children sit on a bench at a school in Aleppo, January 14, 2013.
People gather at a site hit by missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet in Azaz, north of Aleppo, January 13, 2013.
A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon in the Saif al-Dawlah neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, January 13, 2013.
A farmer transports a tree which will be used for heating in the countryside of Idlib January 13, 2013.
A boy, standing next to his father, cries as they wait to receive humanitarian aid in the countryside of Idlib January 13, 2013.
The Observatory said more than 100 people have been killed Tuesday across Syria as rebel fighters continue their push to overthrow President Basher al-Assad's government.
The 21-month conflict that has killed at least 60,000 people.