UNITED NATIONS, March 13 (RHC/Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the terrorist bombings Saturday in the Syrian capital of Damascus and called for those responsible  to be held accountable.

“The secretary-general is appalled by the utter disregard for human life displayed by the perpetrators, and extends his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, many of whom were pilgrims,” said a UN statement.

Two bombings were carried out in swift succession Saturday near a cemetery in the Shaghour area in the old part of the capital Damascus, reportedly killing 74 people, mainly Shiite Iraqi visitors.

An  Al Qaeda-linked group on Sunday claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Syria.

In the war-torn nation, meanwhile, the six-year-old military standoff has claimed as many as 320,000 lives, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory said it had managed to document the death of 321,358 people, among them 17,400 children and 11,000 women.