Syria's war: Deaths as air strikes hit Idlib hospital

8th August 2016 By: News24Wire

Syria's war: Deaths as air strikes hit Idlib hospital

At least 10 people, including three children and four women, have been killed in air strikes on a hospital in northwestern Syria's rebel-held Idlib province.

Al Jazeera's Adham Abu Hossam, reporting from the site of the strike in the town of Meles, about 15 km from Idlib city, said Saturday's raids had also left many in critical condition.

"Destruction is everywhere. This hospital has been targeted with four consecutive airstrikes," he said, adding that civil defence teams continued the search for survivors.

Humanitarian groups have repeatedly called for a halt to strikes on medical facilities. Syrian opposition groups say Syrian and Russian forces deliberately target medical buildings.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, also reported the air strikes, saying it was not yet clear whether Russian or Syrian government jets had targeted the hospital

"The hospital now is completely out of service. According to doctors working in it, the hospital used to serve 70,000 people in this area," said Al Jazeera's Hossam.

"This is not the only hospital targeted by regime and Russian airstrikes today," he added.

"They also targeted a hospital in Sarmin [also in Idlib province[ and it is now out of service. Other hospitals have been targeted in the last few days."

Medical charity the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said that July was the worst month for attacks on healthcare centres since the beginning of Syria's five-year-old conflict.

"There were 43 attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria in July - more than one attack every day," a SAMS statement said.

The Syrian government has also accused rebels of hitting medical targets in the city of Aleppo.