One of the most devastating chemical attacks to take place during the six-year civil war in Syria has left dozens of people — including many children — dead or critically injured in the rebel-held province of Idlib.
At least 70 people died in what activists and Western leaders have described as an airstrike conducted by the Syrian military in the northern town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday.
While the United Nations and Western leaders have quickly condemned the attack, the war that has left more than 450,000 Syrians dead and 12 million permanently displaced shows no sign of ending soon. Less than 24 hours after the chemical attack, more airstrikes reportedly started hitting the same part of town.
Here's what happened and how the conflict escalated to this point.
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Early on Tuesday, a military plane dropped a bomb on a building in the center of rural Khan Sheikhoun. Victims and medical professionals in the area said the large cloud of smoke caused many residents to pass out.
Source: BBC
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights first said at least 58 people, among them 11 children, passed out from inhaling the toxic chemicals released into the air. Many others died later after the initial exposure.
Source: The Associated Press
Minutes later, three strikes hit the center of town, exploding in the roads and surrounding buildings.
Source: CNN
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