Syrian forces killed up to 30 worshippers on Tuesday as they converged on a mosque to perform Ramadan evening prayers in a village northwest of the city of Hama, opposition activists said.

"Troops and Shabbiha (militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad) left the roadblock on the edge of Shariaa and crossed the main road and began firing automatic rifles at the worshippers as they were entering the mosque," Jamil al-Hamwi, one of the activists, said by telephone from al-Ghab Plain.

"We have confirmed the names for 15 bodies and there is a similar number estimated still to be collected from the streets," Hamwi, who uses a pseudonym for safety reasons, said.