Suspected chlorine gas symptoms seen in Syria

World
Europe

Several people suffered symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine gas in the rebel-held eastern Ghouta district near Damascus on Sunday, and one child was killed, the health authorities in the opposition-held area said in a statement.

Victims, ambulance drivers and others smelt chlorine after "an enormous explosion" in the eastern Ghouta in the area of al-Shayfouniya, the opposition Syrian Interim Government's Ministry of Health said. "At least 18 victims were treated with oxygen nebulizing sessions."

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons in the war that will soon enter its eighth year.

A doctor tends to ten-year-old Omar who was injured in an air strike on his home in Otaybah that killed several members of his family, as his father and seven-year-old sister, Manar, watch on at a makeshift hospital in Kafr Batna, in Syria's rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, Feb. 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

The Russian Defense Ministry, which backs the Syrian government in the war, on Sunday accused rebels of preparing to use toxic agents in eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse Damascus of employing chemical weapons.

Video circulated on social media networks purporting to show the aftermath of the attack depicted several bare chested men and young boys appearing to struggle for breath, with some holding nebulizers to their mouths and noses.

Eastern Ghouta, the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus, has been targeted in a fierce government offensive that got underway last week.

The UN Security Council on Saturday demanded a 30-day truce across Syria.

Reports say Sunday's bombardment of eastern Ghouta was less intense than last week, but 14 people were still killed.

Smoke rises after Assad regime carried out an airstrike to Arbin town of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

In recent weeks, the United States has accused Syria of repeatedly using chlorine gas as a weapon. Rebel-held areas of the Ghouta region were hit in a major chemical attack in 2013.

Last year, a joint inquiry by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found the Syrian government was responsible for an April 4, 2017 attack using the banned nerve agent sarin in the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing dozens of people.

6838km

Source(s): Reuters