Syria’s government blamed terrorists for a car bomb that killed at least 31 people in central Damascus near the headquarters of the ruling Ba’ath party on Thursday, as pressure mounted for talks between the government and opposition.

Among more than 230 people reportedly injured in the incident in the Mazra’a district of the capital were children from a nearby school, as well as Nayef Hawatmeh, the head of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Russian embassy was also damaged.

The explosion shattered windows and sent up a huge plume of smoke that was visible throughout much of Damascus, which has so far mostly avoided the large-scale violence that has destroyed other Syrian cities. Car bombings have targeted government buildings before, however.

The Free Syrian Army, the main armed opposition group, denied responsibility for the blast and blamed it on the regime. Opposition media claimed that emergency service vehicles were waiting nearby shortly before – a charge often made after attacks of this kind.

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