DAMASCUS, Syria — A car bomb rocked a busy residential and commercial district in central Damascus on Monday, killing at least 15 people and sending a huge cloud of black smoke billowing over the capital's skyline, Syrian state-run media said.
The explosion came as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said inspectors were ready to deploy within 24 hours to Syria to investigate reports of chemical weapon attacks but have not yet received permission from President Bashar Assad's government.
Monday's blast, described by state-run Syrian TV as a terrorist suicide bombing, went off near the Sabaa Bahrat Square, one of the capital's biggest roundabouts. The Syrian central bank, the state-run investment agency, a mosque and a school are located nearby.
The explosion also wounded at least 53 people, according to Syrian state TV.
It was the latest in a series of car bombs and suicide bombings to hit the Syrian capital in recent months as the two-year civil war becomes increasingly chaotic. The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 70,000 people.
Major bombings since uprising began in March 2011
April 8: A car bomb explodes in a busy residential and commercial district in central Damascus, killing at least 15 people and causing heavy damage to the area, a Syrian government official said.
March 21: A suicide bomber blows himself up in a mosque in central Damascus, killing 42 people, including a leading Sunni Muslim preacher who was outspoken regime supporter, Sheik Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti.
Feb. 21: A car bomb explodes at a security checkpoint near the headquarters of the ruling Baath party in the heart of Damascus, killing at least 53 people, according to Syrian state media.
Jan. 16: Three car bombings in the northern city of Idlib kill 22 people. State media said attackers targeted a major highway and traffic circle; anti-regime activists said the bombers targeted security vehicles near the local security headquarters.
Jan. 15: Twin blasts rip through a university campus in the northern city of Aleppo, killing more than 80 people, most of them students, in the government-controlled part of the city.
Dec. 12, 2012: A car bomb targets the Interior Ministry in Damascus, killing several people and wounding more than 20, including the interior minister.
July 18, 2012: A blast at the Syrian national security building in Damascus during a meeting of Cabinet ministers kills the defense minister and his deputy, who was Assad's brother-in-law, and wounds the interior minister. Rebels claim responsibility for the blast.
May 10, 2012: Two suicide car bombers blow themselves up outside a military intelligence building in Damascus, killing at least 55 people.
April 27, 2012: A suicide bomber in Damascus kills at least nine people, most of them security officers.
March 17, 2012: Blasts kill at least 27 people near the intelligence and security buildings in the Syrian capital.
Feb. 10, 2012: Two suicide car bombers hit security compounds in Aleppo, killing 28 people.
Jan. 6, 2012: A blast at an intersection in Damascus kills 25 people, many of them policemen.
Dec. 23, 2011: Back-to-back car bombs near Syria's intelligence agencies kill at least 44 in the first major attack in the capital seven months after the uprising erupted.