They died after "indiscriminate shelling" from the military, the Local Coordination Committees said. Earlier, a resident told AFP news agency that three protesters were shot dead as they left a mosque in the town.

Hundreds have fled the border town since Friday as authorities try to crush a revolt against the government.Across Syria, more than 700 people have died in more than two months of protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, activists say.

The government says it is pursuing "armed terrorist gangs", which it blames for the deaths of soldiers, security service personnel and police officers.

However, reports from Syria are hard to verify independently as foreign journalists are not allowed into the country.

At a nearby border crossing with Lebanon, a woman fleeing the violence was killed and five people injured, after gunfire from the Syrian side, Lebanese border officials told AFP.

The incident reportedly took place at al-Boqayah crossing, near the north Lebanon town of Wadi Khaled.

The Syrian government offered to launch a dialogue with the opposition on May 15, after reportedly freeing several dissidents who had been held in connection with the unrest.