UN-Arab League Joint Envoy Kofi Annan on Friday condemned the intense fighting which caused significant casualties in the village of Traimseh near Hama in central Syria.

"I am shocked and appalled by news... of intense fighting, significant casualties, and the confirmed use of heavy weaponry such as artillery, tanks and helicopters," he said in a statement.

"I condemn these atrocities in the strongest possible terms," he said.

Annan said this was in violation of the government's undertaking to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centers and its commitment to the six-point plan.

He said the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) "stands ready to go in and seek verification of the facts, if and when circumstances permit. The freedom of movement of the observers must be respected."

"It is desperately urgent that this violence and brutality stops and more important than ever that governments with influence exert it more effectively to ensure that the violence ends immediately," he said.

Major General Robert Mood, chief of the UNSMIS, confirmed Friday in Damascus that there was a continuous fighting with the use of mechanized units and helicopters in Traimseh overnight Thursday.

Activists said over 200 people had been killed. Both the government and the opposition traded accusations for the carnage.