Syria’s main opposition bloc  has called on the UN security Council on Saturday to convene an emergency meeting to examine what it called a massacre near Homs in the town of Houla, where it said left claimed the lives of nearly 100 people, amongst them 55 children and dozens of mothers.

“The  Syrian National Council (SNC) calls on the UN Security Council to convene an immediate meeting to discuss the situation arising from the massacre in the presence of international observers, and determine the responsibility of the United Nations towards the genocide and forced displacement carried out by the regime against unarmed civilians,” according to a statement by SNC.

“The shelling on the town of Houla, Homs lasted for 12 hours, followed by a terrible massacre committed by the regime and its mercenaries,” SNC added.

Some of the victims were hit by heavy artillery, others “slaughtered with knives while entire families, were massacred  SNC said.

The National Council has also called on the Syrian people to declare mourning for three days and  and respond to the massacre, with more demonstrations, especially in Damascus and Aleppo.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory while giving a lower death toll of 55, agreed that this was “a real massacre” and complained that “U.N. observers are just staying silent” on the matter, according to Al Arabiya.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon blamed the Syrian government on Friday for much of the “unacceptable levels of violence and abuses” occurring every day in violation of a U.N.-backed peace plan.

Ban also called on all elements of the opposition to stop the violence and respect human rights.