UNITED NATIONS: At least 27 children were killed in the attack in Syria this week, and more than 500 people wounded in a toll that is expected to rise, UNICEF said today.
"The killing of children in Syria cannot be allowed to continue," said Geert Cappelaere, Middle East regional director at UNICEF, the United Nations agency on children's issues.
"All parties to the conflict and those with influence on them must immediately put an end to this horror," he said in a statement. An air strike on rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday left scores of civilians dead from a suspected chemical weapons attack.
Cappelaere said at least 27 children were among the dead and that 546 people were wounded. He said, "casualty figures are expected to rise." According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the death toll in the town had risen to 86, including 30 children.
More than 160 people were wounded and others missing, it said. UNICEF said it is working with partners in responding to the attack by supporting three mobile clinics and four hospitals to provide first aid and treatment. The agency is also delivering critical medical supplies and "working with health partners to raise awareness about medical response to chemical attacks," it said.