Fresh bombardment hit the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Friday, AFP correspondents reported, the fifth straight day of a bombing campaign that has killed more than 240 civilians. Syrian warplanes and artillery have battered the enclave's towns since Monday, trapping thousands of families in makeshift bomb shelters and overwhelming rescue workers.
World powers failed to back an appeal by UN officials for a month-long ceasefire to allow for desperately needed aid deliveries and medical evacuations. Bombardment resumed on several Eastern Ghouta towns on Friday morning, killing 13 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.
At least six were killed in Douma, including two children. "There were eight families living in this neighbourhood," said Abu Ezzo, a 29-year-old resident of Douma. "The airplane hit the houses, and every single resident came out either wounded or dead," he said. One of the raids hit Douma's local civilian council, starting a fire on the upper levels. Multiple strikes also killed seven civilians in Erbin, where medics reported being overwhelmed by the relentless bombardment.