The Bayda and Baniyas massacres were two widely reported on massacres that occurred in May 2013 in the village of Bayda and the city of Baniyas, in Tartus Governorate, Syria, where pro-Assad troops, supported by paramilitaries, killed civilians in the Sunni village and the Sunni part of the city. The killings were supposedly in retaliation for an earlier rebel attack near the town that left at least half a dozen soldiers dead. There were reports of whole families being killed in the two massacres 2–3 May, and thousands were attempting to flee the area. At least 100 people were killed, while others say that number exceeds 400. Human Rights Watch put the number of dead at 248 in mass summary executions. According to a UN report between 300 and 450 people were killed. Survivors have testified