Syrian rebel fighters say they have found around 40 bodies showing signs of torture in the mortuary of a military hospital in a suburb of Damascus following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

 The discovery of the bodies came as the Syrian Civil Defense, whose rescue workers are widely known as the White Helmets, announced that it had concluded a search operation for possible detainees in secret cells or basements at Saydnaya prison without finding anyone.

 A Syrian non-governmental organization said it was likely that the bodies in Harasta were detainees from the notorious Saydnaya prison, which is just to the north of Damascus.