Aleppo families cower in hospital basement as air strikes wreak carnage

From where he was waiting, he watched helplessly as a barrel bomb fell next to the hospital.

Fearing more would follow, the medical director ran into the building and ordered his staff to take the patients down to the basement.

“The noise of the babies crying and the explosions down there was incredible,” said Dr Hatem, who did not give his full name to protect his family. “We tried to help the parents calm down, pleading with them not to leave the hospital and to stay underground. We told them: ‘Staying here can save your life.’”

As he sat crouched in the dark with two colleagues – the three of them making up the only paediatricians to remain in opposition-held east Aleppo – he wondered what would happen if they did not make it out alive.

“Between us we serve over 90,000 children trapped in the city. What if we are all killed here today, in this basement? Who will treat the children in the city? What will happen to them?”

Over two hours, 20 barrel bombs were dropped around the hospital. Bayan was put out of service by the attacks, but those hiding in the basement somehow survived.

Dr Hatem had hoped to reopen on Friday, but the hospital was bombed again. It has been a deadly few days in eastern Aleppo.

There have been more than 13 such attacks on medical facilities across northern Syria since the latest government offensive began on Tuesday – approximately one every nine hours.

All hospitals in rebel-held part of the city capable of treating emergency cases were out of service yesterday after days of heavy air strikes on the besieged area of the Syrian city, its health directorate said.

More than 120 lives were lost in the renewed bombing, according to White Helmets civil defence rescuers.

On Friday what was believed to be a chlorine bomb was dropped on the Hanano neighbourhood, killing at least five people and injuring scores more.

Ibrahim al-Haj, a member of the White Helmets, said the city was a “mess.” The group of first responders said they were struggling to put out fires set off by the air strikes in at least 10 parts of eastern Aleppo.

The US hit out at the air strikes on hospitals and called on Russia to takes steps to contain the violence.

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms these horrific attacks against medical infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers,” White House national security adviser Susan Rice said. “There is no excuse for these heinous actions.”