Capital Rocked By Large Explosion A powerful explosion has killed more than a dozen people in the Syrian capital Damascus, according to state TV. Media outlets said 13 people died in the blast and more than 70 other injured. The nature of Tuesday's explosion was not immediately clear but its location, in the central heart of the city, has increased pressure on the ruling Assad regime. Residents said they heard the blast and saw thick, black smoke billowing from behind a group of buildings. The attack was near the old interior ministry in Damascus Footage showed dozens of damaged vehicles, with plumes of smoke rising from burning cars. Pro-government Al-Ikhbariya television showed firefighters running through thick smoke after the blast in Marjeh Square. Two bodies could be seen on the ground. Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall, who has reported from Damascus, said the blast was near the central railway station. Marshall added: "The former interior ministry is nearby and so it is quite symbolic a location for the explosion." Cars were set alight by the force of the explosion The attack in Damascus comes a day after Syria's prime minister narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in the city. It occurred on the same day two missiles were fired at a Russian passenger plane flying over Syria, according to Russian media reports. Some 160 people were aboard the charter aircraft and the missiles were apparently fired by unknown forces, Interfax said. Elsewhere in the troubled nation, unconfirmed reports said at least 15 opposition fighters were killed in a battle with government troops at the Mannagh military helicopter base in the north. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council should force Syria and opposition rebels to let aid groups reach an estimated seven million victims suffering in the civil war, Oxfam has said. Housing has become a major issue for refugees The charity revealed the unfolding humanitarian crisis has now become its number one global priority, as the two-year conflict continues to spread. It said UN action could mean aid being allowed to cross lines of control and cross-border from neighbouring countries, such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The plea came from Oxfam chief executive Mark Goldring, who has been visiting the charity's workers on the Syrian-Jordanian border. Mr Goldring said: "The world risks failing the people of Syria at a time when they most need our help. Refugees and internally displaced person are now estimated at 7 million We hear each day that the situation in Syria is desperate for so many but providing an appropriate humanitarian response is extremely difficult - and deeply frustrating. Restrictions on access mean far too many vulnerable people are not getting the help they have a right to. The charity said that in addition to 1.3 million refugees struggling in neighbouring countries, millions need help within Syria. Food, housing and healthcare have all become areas of concern, as has the social implications of so many refugees in neighbouring nations. Oxfam said Lebanon, for example, has received numbers of refugees equivalent in proportion to its population to some 6.5 million Syrians arriving in the UK.