UN chemical weapons experts in Syria (illustration)
UN chemical weapons experts in Syria (illustration)Reuters

An attack involving chemical weapons in the northern Syrian city of Idlib Tuesday morning killed roughly 100 people and left hundreds more injured.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that fighter jets struck the town of Khan Sheikhoun, a suburb of the city of Idlib in northwest Syria.

The attacks, say the Observatory, included use of chemical agents which killed dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Social media sites including Twitter were inundated with pictures of people reportedly killed or wounded by the chemical attack.

The rebel-controlled Idlib district has a Sunni majority as well as a significant Christian minority.

According to the Observatory, victims of the chemical attack Tuesday are suffering from symptoms including vomiting, fainting, and foaming at the mouth. Those killed, say the Observatory, died of asphyxiation.

In August 2013, the Syrian regime killed approximately 1,300 people with sarin nerve gas. Chemical weapons have been used by the Assad regime, the rebels, and ISIS during the Syrian conflict.