Poland’s foreign ministry has condemned the suspected use of chemical weapons in an attack on Saturday in the rebel-held Syrian city of Douma.

Bodies of victims of alleged chemical attack lie on the ground in rebel-held Douma, Syria, 08 April 2018. Photo: EPA/EMAD ALDIN

Around 70 people were killed in air strikes, the BBC reported, citing rescue workers and medical staff working on the ground.

"We are concerned by the reports of a chemical weapons attack in Douma," the foreign ministry in Warsaw said in a tweet on Monday. "The violation of international law has caused death and suffering of innocent people."

The ministry added: "We have agreed to hold an emergency meeting of the UNSC. Those responsible for this act must be held accountable."

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) has said Syrian government forces were responsible for the poison gas attack on a hospital in Douma, which claimed the lives of at least 41 people. The Syrian government has denied the allegations.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was on Monday set to hold an emergency meeting in response to the attack. Poland, alongside the UK, France, the United States, Kuwait and Peru, was among countries that had called for the gathering.

(aba/pk/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, BBC