A spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters that 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas in Saraqeb. They suspect it’s chlorine gas, but could not say for sure.
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Abdel Aziz Bareeh, a doctor working in Saraqeb, told the BBC that the helicopter dropped two barrels of chlorine gas on the town.
SANA, the Syrian government’s official news agency, reported that at least seven civilians were killed by rebel-launched shells in Aleppo on Tuesday afternoon.
Rudskoi called the downing a terrorist act against Russian forces, which were deployed in Syria with the aim to help Syrian government fight terrorists.
Western powers including the US have accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of using chemical weapons during his regime’s five-year civil war – a charge he has denied.
Russian forces have been accused by worldwide human rights organizations of targeting civilians and using cluster munitions in their attacks.
The helicopter was carrying three crew and two officers.
On Monday, a Russian helicopter was brought down after delivering aid and supplies to Aleppo, a Syrian city, killing five people who were on board, as reported by Russian state media.
So far, no person or body has claimed responsibility for this shooting, and Russian Federation has not pointed out who might be responsible for it.
The Russian military says the Syrian army, relying on Russian air cover, has fended off a massive rebel attack meant to break the siege of Aleppo, killing over 800 militants.
A rebel source in Jaish al Fatah said they had deployed around 10,000 troops, at least 95 tanks and several hundred rocket launcher vehicles in a three-stage battle they gave the name of the “great epic battle of Aleppo”.
Later that year the United Nations and the Syrian government agreed to destroy the state’s declared stockpile of chemical weapons, a process completed in January 2016.
The five deaths make this the most grievous single incident for the Russian military since its involvement in defending Syria against the jihadist offensive.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced almost half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders. It said that “activists accused regime forces of using explosive barrels which contained gasses”. The report also claimed that more than 30 people had suffered from the gas.
The neighborhood is close to intense clashes pitting government and allied troops against rebels and Islamic militants who launched a counteroffensive on Sunday, hoping to ease the siege.
Chlorine is a common industrial chemical, but its use in weapons is banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention.
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A humanitarian crisis looms in eastern Aleppo as the government siege essentially cut the area off from the rest of the country. Dozens were reported wounded, but none killed.
