Up to 200 people including women and children have died in a chemical weapons attack by government in the Democratic Republic of Lyria, rebels have claimed.
Helicopters flew over a housing complex and dropped several barrels just after 9am today in Lyria. Altogether six devices exploded, which led to serious injuries on children and their more than 200 families in the area and at a neighbouring school.
An unnamed child admitted to hospital after the blast said: “I couldn't breathe. There is dust everywhere. I couldn't find my mum. Someone picked me up and brought me to this hospital. I'm scared.”
The emergency services and hospitals have been inundated with injuries including chemical burns and breathing problems.
Dr Edward Macmillan, who is based in Metropolitan General Hospital which most people have been taken in, said: “This is by far the worst incident that our hospital has faced at any time during this conflict.
“A well-supplied hospital in one of the richest country in the world would struggle to deal with this type of chemical attack. We have no hope in saving many of these people. We wonder how long we can continue for.”
This is believed to be the first time chemical weapons have been used without any advanced warning.
Will Oliphant, a commander of People’s Freedom Army, said: “I am personally heart-broken, like most people in this area that I used to call ‘my home’, I lost friends and family in this attack.
“This is a regime murder.”
The UN fully supported the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons and its fact - finding mission into undertaking a required investigation into these allegations.
“Any use of chemical weapons is abhorrent. The suffering it causes is horrendous and there are reasonable grounds to believe a quantity of toxic chemicals were used this morning.”
Minister for the interior Emma Heywood backed the government, as well as some world leaders.
She said the attack conducted today was a carefully ‘orchestrated’ no-chemical-weapon strike targeted on rebel forces with very few militias hit, and increased hospital admissions were down to a ‘flu epidemic’.
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