Shells rain down on the Syrian city of Homs, despite reports of a temporary truce between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad.
The two sides had allegedly agreed on a short ceasefire to allow aid access to the sick and wounded, but Syrian army shells continue to fall.
The International Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent are on standby for a stop to the violence to provide humanitarian support.
The ICRC says more than 10 days of heavy fighting has left hundreds of civilians stuck in the old city of Homs, unable to leave the battlefield.
Amateur videos - which cannot be independently verified by Reuters - purportedly show the destruction wrought by a sustained bombardment of the area.
Homs has been at the centre of the 15-month old revolt against Assad, and became the focus of world concern during a bloody siege by government forces earlier this year.
Simon Hanna, Reuters.