SYRIAN CLASH:SARAQEB 'ATTACKED USING CHLORINE GAS'

A helicopter has reportedly to have dropped barrels suspected to contain chlorine gas on a town in the northern Syria,one doctor and rescuers have said.

About 30 people were affected by this attack, which took its place in Saraqeb in the Idlib province. It is not clear who was responsible for the attack.

Both sides in the Syria's civil war have been accused of,but both have denied,making use of any chemical agents.

On Monday, a Russian military helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb.

Dr Abdel Aziz Bareeh, who works in Saraqeb, told the BBC that two barrels of chlorine gas were dropped on the town late on Monday.

"We know it's chlorine because we have been  hit by it in the past and we are well familiar with its odour and symptoms... We have 28 confirmed cases mostly women and children."

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Separately, a spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters that 33 people had been affected in the attack.

The organisation of volunteer rescue workers said it suspected the barrels contained chlorine but this,they were unable to confirm it.

Chlorine is a common industrial chemical, but its use in weapons,is banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Symptoms of chlorine poisoning include irritated skin,difficulty in breathing,sore eyes,and bloody foaming from the mouth.

In 2013, the BBC found strong evidence suggested that residents of Saraqeb were subjected to a chemical attack by government helicopters, something denied by the Syrian authorities.

The crashing of the helicopter on Monday was the deadliest single incident for Russia's military,since its air campaign began last September. It is not clear who brought it down.

Pictures on social media, purportedly of the latest Russian helicopter crashing, showed burning bodies and wreckage , with armed men milling around.

Meanwhile clashes are continuing near Aleppo, where rebels have launched an offensive to break a government siege.