Statement on Airstrikes on Hospital in Idlib, Syria

July 29, 2016…Save the Children is outraged by today’s airstrike on a vital maternity hospital run by our partners in Idlib governorate. The bombing took place at approximately 13;00 BST today, hitting the front of the hospital building. Two people were killed in the attack.

Several babies were injured when their incubators crashed to the floor, and a woman who was six months pregnant had her leg severed. Two other women have shrapnel wounds to the stomach and a number of patients and staff have suffered light injuries. At approximately 17.00 BST today, the hospital’s deputy manager said fighter planes were still circling overhead.

At the time of the bombing, two operations were underway and a woman was in labour. The hospital is currently thought to have ceased functioning except for the emergency room, and the generator was damaged in the attack. It is the only maternity facility of its kind in the area, serving more than 1,000 women and children a month and delivering hundreds of babies. Save the Children has been supporting it for more than two years.

Patricia Erb, President & CEO says, ”Our thoughts are with the brave Syrian staff who run the hospital and the families affected. Bombing a maternity hospital which is helping women living under the shadow of war to give birth safely is a shameful act, whether it was done intentionally or because due care was not taken to avoid civilian areas.

“There is no excuse, and unfortunately this is only the latest in a series of strikes on health facilities in Syria. We condemn these attacks, which are illegal under international law, in the strongest possible terms. We need an immediate ceasefire across Syria and an end to the appalling bombing of medical facilities”