Syrian forces shell Houla - FT.com More than 92 people were killed in what activists said was an artillery barrage by government forces in the worst violence since the start of a UN peace plan to slow the flow of blood in Syria's uprising, the United Nations said on Saturday. Calls for international action on Syria escalated after activists said government forces started shelling the town of al Houla on Friday following anti-government demonstrators at the end of Friday prayers. Over 20 of those killed were children, according to the UK-based opposition-affiliated monitoring group the Syrian Human Rights Observatory. Amateur video footage, which activists said showed the aftermath of the attack, was posted on YouTube. One video appears to show the bloodied corpses of several young children. It was not possible to confirm details of the attack, as the regime restricts independent journalists" access to the country. The Local Coordination Committees (LCCs), an on the ground activist network, said that the shelling campaign was followed by an attack by pro-government militias, who "slaughtered entire families." Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, said there was no evidence of militia involvement. The LCCs said that at least 88 people were killed. The Observatory put the figure at least 90. Wissam Tarif, a researcher with campaign group Avaaz said that he had the names of 106 victims. Syrian state media said that the killings had been carried about by "terrorist" groups, a term the regime uses to describe armed opposition. The opposition umbrella group the Syrian National Council (SNC) told Reuters the body was calling for an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss the killings. UK Foreign Minister William Hague said that Britain would be asking for an "urgent" Security Council meeting "in the coming days." The Arab League head Nabil al Arabi also called for the Security Council to act to "stop the escalation of killing and violence by armed gangs and government military forces." French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius meanwhile condemned the reported events in al Houla as a "massacre," and said he wanted to arrange a meeting in Paris of the Friends of Syria, a group that brings together Western and Arab countries that have called for Syrian President Bashar al Assad to step down. The Security Council, where Syria's allies Russia and China wield veto power, has come under increasing pressure to act on Syria as the death toll has risen. The UN estimates that at least 10,000 people have been killed since the start of the uprising nearly fifteen months ago during the brutal suppression of what was initially a mainly peaceful protest movement, but which now appears to be becoming an increasingly militarised struggle to topple the regime. In March, the Security Council endorsed a plan put forward by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan aimed at ending the crisis in Syria. The plan calls for the regime to pull back its military from populated areas in order to facilitate a ceasefire with its lightly armed opponents, and to respect peoples right to demonstrate peacefully, in order to create the space for an eventual political dialogue. A small unarmed observer force has been sent to Syria to monitor compliance with the plan, which activists say has been virtually non-existent. The already damaged credibility of the Annan plan is likely to be further eroded by the reported killings in al Houla, which some fear will accelerate Syria's slide towards civil war. "Non-violent activists cannot halt the reactions of other people in the time of severe crimes," said one activist in the north of the country. "We have a lot wise men and women inside, but the guns and extremists" voices are always louder than wisdom's voice.." Additional reporting by agencies - ends