Syria: Kofi Annan "shocked and appalled" by reports of Tremseh "massacre" INTERNATIONAL envoy Kofi Annan says he is "shocked and appalled" by reports of a mass killing in the Syrian village of Tremseh. Syrian activists have posted videos they say show at least 17 of the dozens of people reportedly killed in heavy government shelling of a farming village in central Syria yesterday. Mr Annan brokered a peace plan for Syria that has been widely flouted by both sides of the conflict. Today he singled out the government for criticism - saying the Tremseh killings violate "the government's undertaking to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres." The death toll could be more than 200, according to some activists. They said that government gunners rained shells on the village before armed thugs moved in. Much remains unclear about what happened in Tremseh and why Mr Assad's troops moved against the isolated village. Local activists, who gave the high death toll, could not provide lists of names, saying they were still being compiled. But the violence was certain to raise even more doubts about the faltering peace efforts of Mr Annan. One amateur video posted online showed the dead bodies of 15 men lined up on a floor. Some are covered in blood and have wounds to their heads and chests. Another video showed a young man wailing over the body of an elderly grey-haired man wrapped in a blanket and lying in the street. Come on, Dad. For the sake of God, get up," the man sobs. A boom is heard in the background. For its part, the Syrian government said more than 50 people were killed when Syrian forces clashed with "armed gangs" that were terrorising village residents.