Russia claims Syrian airstrike targetted chemical weapons factory

New York [U.S.A.], Apr. 5 (ANI): Russia's Defence Ministry has blamed a "terrorist" ammunition depot for the deaths of dozens of people in what has been described as a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province. According to a statement posted on Wednesday on the Russian Ministry's Facebook page, the strike hit "workshops, which produced chemical warfare munitions" in the eastern outskirts of the Khan Sheikhoun town, CNN reports. Dozens of people, including at least ten children, were killed and over 200 injured as a result of asphyxiation caused by exposure to an unknown gas on Tuesday, as reported by CNN. According to Anas al-Diab, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center, airstrikes hit the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province giving off a poisonous gas that led to this asphyxiation. Three more strikes hit the same city center location but did not result in any gas, al-Diab added. Activists said the Syrian regime dropped a chemical bomb and was responsible for the killings, leading the United Nations to replace a scheduled Security Council session for Wednesday morning with an emergency meeting. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military denied using chemical weapons and blamed rebels for the carnage. The death toll is said to be at least 67, according to al-Diab, while the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported it to be 58. The High Negotiations Committee claimed the death toll could be as high as 100 with up to 400 injured. (ANI)