Syria gas attack reportedly kills dozens

Dozens of people, including at least ten children, have been killed and more than 200 injured in a suspected chemical attack in northern Syria, multiple activist groups said.

Airstrikes hit the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, giving off a "poisonous gas," according to Anas al-Diab, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center.

The casualties reportedly came as a result of asphyxiation caused by exposure to an unknown gas or chemical agent. Five minutes later, three more strikes hit the same city center location but did not result in any gas, al-Diab added.

Videos circulating on social media purporting to be from the scene show people, including children, who appear unresponsive; others are seen struggling to breathe or wearing oxygen masks.

Doctors are attempting to evacuate the wounded to Turkey, according to activists. The Aleppo Media Center later reported that several people were injured when an airstrike hit near a hospital in Khan Sheikhoun where victims from the earlier apparent gas attack were being treated.

There were no deaths reported from the airstrike near the hospital. The nature of the substance used in the Tuesday attack has not been confirmed, and it is unclear if the planes involved were Syrian.

Idlib province is largely controlled by an alliance of Syrian rebel forces and is regularly targeted in airstrikes by the Syrian government and its ally, Russia.