A suspected gas attack by Syrian Government or Russian jets killed at least 58 people, including nine children, in the north-western province of Idlib, a British-based war monitoring group says.
Another airstrike hit a small field hospital in the same town after the initial attack, Syrian opposition activists said.
The attack caused many people to choke or faint, and some had foam coming out of their mouths, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights said, citing medical sources who described it as a sign of a gas attack.
The air strikes also wounded more than 60 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, the Observatory said.
Video posted online by opposition activists showed the lifeless bodies of children laid out on the back of a truck, and activists circulated pictures showing a reported victim with foam around his mouth and rescue workers hosing down almost naked children squirming on the floor.
Damascus has repeatedly denied using any such weapons but the United Nations has accused both the regime and opposition forces of staging chemical attacks.
A Syrian military source said the army "does not and has not" used chemical weapons, "not in the past and not in the future", while Russia also denied involvement in the attack.
Pro-opposition Orient News television said the strikes had killed 50 people and injured more than 150.
The head of the opposition's civil defence force in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib province, said a medical centre was levelled and five rescue vehicles damaged in a strike hours later.
Warplanes "targeted us after the attack," said the man, who goes by the name of Aby Hamdu, adding it was not clear if anyone was killed.
"A new and particularly serious chemical attack took place this morning in Idlib province. The first information suggests a large number of victims, including children. I condemn this disgusting act," Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement.
"In the face of such serious actions that threaten international security, I ask for everyone not to shirk their responsibilities. With this in mind, I ask for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council," he added.
ABC/Wires
First posted April 04, 2017 18:16:45
0 comments :
Post a Comment