At least 16 people were killed Friday by "armed groups" in several Syrian cities, local media said, as activists said 51 people were killed at a town in central Syria over the weekend.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency said seven people were found killed in central Hama province, adding that the bodies were found thrown into the street of al-Tawil and an agricultural road near Shiraz town.

Also in Hama, seven people were killed when armed groups attacked a mourning tent there, according to pro-government media.

Meanwhile, SANA said two kids were killed in northern Aleppo province Friday in a drive-by shooting of armed groups. It said the gunmen were riding a Kia Rio car and opened fire indiscriminately at people there, which led to the killing of the two children and the injury of other passersby.

On the opposition side, the Local Coordination Committees said that 51 people were killed at the central al-Houleh town near Homs by the gunfire of government troops. It said that three people were also killed in northern city of Aleppo and one person was killed in southern Daraa province.

The activists' account couldn't be independently checked.

The unabated violence has put all diplomatic efforts to solve Syria's 15-months-old unrest at stake.