Syria War: ‘Gas Attack’ Kills Child in Eastern Ghouta

Reports from Syria suggest hospitals in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta have been treating people affected by chlorine gas.

Airstrikes by government forces have continued in the area just outside Damascus, despite the UN Security Council unanimously passing a resolution on a ceasefire.

More than 520 civilians are believed to have died in one week of heavy bombardment.

Health authorities say several people suffered symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine gas and one child was killed in the latest attack.

A local branch of the opposition Syrian Interim Government’s Ministry of Health said victims, ambulance drivers and others smelt chlorine after “an enormous explosion”.

“At least 18 victims were treated with oxygen nebulising sessions,” it said.

The claims could not be independently verified. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment.

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

The Russian defence ministry, which backs the Syrian government in the war, accused rebels of preparing to use toxic agents in Eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse the government of employing chemical weapons.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a child had died from suffocation in Eastern Ghouta but said it could not confirm if poison gas had been used.

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

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

The observatory said Sunday’s bombardment of eastern Ghouta was less intense than last week, but 14 people were still killed.