Air strike cripples Syria cave hospital

International Desk: A hospital built under 20m (60 feet) of rock in a rebel-held part of central Syria has been wrecked by a powerful air strike, medical sources say.

They say the hospital in Hama province - regarded as one of the best protected in the country - was put out of service by Thursday's strike.

No casualties are reported but aid workers say it is the worst in a wave of attacks against hospitals in Syria.

Meanwhile the UN says aid is no longer getting through to besieged areas.

The Al Maghara cave hospital in the town of Kafr Zita was hit by five missiles in Thursday's strike, says the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), an international coalition of medical charities.

"It's widely believed to be the most secure hospital in Syria," UOSSM spokesman Avi D'Souza said.

Mr D'Souza said the reason there were no deaths seemed to be that staff and patients were evacuated to a safe room when they heard incoming jets.

The group says the facility - which serves a population of 50,000 people and performs about 150 major surgery procedures a month - suffered extensive damage.

Causing such damage is only possible through advanced weapons, such as bunker-buster missiles, the UOSSM added.

"This is the most serious attack in a larger campaign against hospitals," Mr D'Souza said.
The group recorded 14 strikes against medical facilities in Syria in January alone.

Source: BBC


risingbd/Feb 2, 2018/Mukul