This is the moment volunteer medics in eastern Ghouta tried in vain to extinguish a burning motorbike rider after he was hit by a government airstrike on Wednesday.
Despite the efforts of the White Helmets the man died – just one of 91 people killed in the rebel-held enclave near Damascus on Wednesday bringing the total number of civilian dead to more than 900 in just 19 days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Another 60 were left struggling to breathe after a suspected chlorine gas attack in the Hammuriyeh area.
Meanwhile doctors from The Syrian American Medical Society said they also treated injuries consistent with cluster bombs and napalm, both banned weapons.
Volunteers from the White Helmets try to extinguish a burning motorbike rider after he was hit by a bomb in eastern Ghouta, spraying him with fuel which subsequently set alight. The man was later pronounced dead, just one of at least 91 people killed in the rebel-held enclave on Wednesday
At least 60 people were left struggling to breathe after a suspected chlorine gas attack in eastern Ghouta on Wednesday night, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
Around 40 people in the Hammuriyeh district were found hiding on a rooftop in order to get fresh air and children screamed ‘I’m going to suffocate’ as medics brought them down
Doctors also reported seeing injuries from cluster bombs and napalm on Wednesday, both of which are banned weapons
Children and the elderly were worst affected by the alleged gas attack according to posts on social media which accused the government of throwing ‘everything it’s got’ at Ghouta
Syrian government forces, which are backed by Iran and Russia, have repeatedly been accused of using chlorine gas against civilian areas as they fight to retake eastern Ghouta from rebel groups – allegations they deny
A baby is treated for suspected gas exposure after an alleged chlorine attack on the districts of Sakba and Hammuriyeh
Children had to be helped from the roof of one building by medics as they screamed ‘I’m going to suffocate’ following the attack, according to AfP.
Up to 40 people were sheltering on the roof having climbed up there in order to get fresh air, it is reported.
Chlorine gas is heavier than air, meaning it settles in the streets and basements where people have been hiding away from the bombing.
Women, children and the elderly appeared to be the worst affected by yesterday’s attack, according to posts on social media.
As a result of the violence a Red Cross convoy due to carry aid into the besieged district on Thursday was cancelled, with aid workers unable to say when it would get through.
Ingy Sedky, the ICRC’s spokeswoman in Syria, said that ‘the situation is evolving rapidly on the ground, which doesn’t allow us to carry out the operation in such conditions’.
The Syrian Arab Army, which is loyal to Assad, and allied militias are currently in the midst of an offensive to retake eastern Ghouta, which is on the outskirts of Damascus, from rebel groups
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 91 people were killed in bombings on Wednesday
The Red Cross said an escalation in violence on Wednesday had forced it to cancel an aid convoy that was due to move into Ghouta on Thursday, with no idea when it might get through
Ghouta has been under siege for years by government forces and civilians were running low on food and medical supplies even before the offensive started last month (pictured, a baby is treated for suspected gas exposure)
Air strikes continued to fall on Ghouta on Thursday after children were sickened in a potential chlorine gas attack
Syrian children receive first aid after what locals say was an attack by forces loyal to Syrian President Assad with chlorine gas
Chlorine gas is heavier than air, so sinks into basements where people have been hiding from the bombings. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable (pictured, a man is treated for suspected exposure to chlorine)
An affected man receives a medical treatment after Assad regime forces conduct alleged poisonous gas attack in Syria
Earlier this week, the first convoy in weeks made it into eastern Ghouta, but 14 of the 46 trucks were not able to fully offload critical humanitarian supplies because of stepped-up violence.
The Syrian Arab Army, which is loyal to Bashar al-Assad and backed by Russia, launched an intensive bombing campaign in Ghouta in recent weeks in an attempt to drive rebels from the outskirts of Damascus.
Regime forces have been repeatedly accused of using chlorine on Eastern Ghouta in recent weeks, which both the government and its ally Russia have staunchly denied.
On Thursday a pro-Damascus commander said the army is poised to slice Ghouta in two as forces advancing from the east link up with troops at the enclave’s western edge.
That would put the zone effectively under Syrian government control as the remaining strip of rebel territory would be within weapons range.
The United Nations says 400,000 people are trapped in the towns and villages of eastern Ghouta. They have been under government siege for years and were already running out of food and medicine before the assault.
A young girl wounded in a government airstrike on eastern Ghouta is treated at a hospital in the rebel-held enclave
A Syrian boy covered in blood after being wounded in a government airstrike lies in a hospital in eastern Ghouta
Wounded Syrians await treatment at a clinic in the rebel-held town of Hamouria, in the besieged eastern Ghouta region
A Syrian girl cries as she waits for treatment as victims of reported regime air strikes on Hamouria, Saqba and Kafr Batna are brought to a make-shift hospital in eastern Ghouta
Dozens of people were treated for breathing difficulties after air strikes slammed into eastern Ghouta on Wednesday
A wounded Syrian man is brought into a clinic in Syria’s eastern Ghouta following airstrikes by forces loyal to the regime
Syria Civil Defense, a volunteer organisation commonly known as The White Helmets, tweeted that the situation in Ghouta at the moment defies description.
‘Over 68 civilians were killed so far, cities are being terminated, the white helmets teams can’t run on the streets because of the huge destruction and airstrikes holes in everywhere,’ the organisation said on Wednesday.
United Nations investigators say government forces used chlorine as a weapon at least three times between 2014 and 2015, as well as sarin gas in 2016.
The latest assault on Eastern Ghouta began with an intense bombing campaign on February 18, followed by a ground offensive.
Air strikes continued to hit the remaining rebel-controlled parts of Ghouta on Thursday.
A convoy of humanitarian assistance expected to enter the enclave was postponed, the International Committee of the Red Cross told AFP.
It marks the second time this week that aid operations to Eastern Ghouta have been disrupted by military developments, with food deliveries cut short on Monday due to heavy bombardment.