UN investigating possible chlorine gas attacks in Syria

The United Nations (UN) are investigating reports of gas, believed to be chlorine, being dropped on the rebel-held Syrian city of Aleppo.

At least seven people died and 55 people were injured after a barrel containing a gas suspected to be chlorine was dropped over Aleppo, authorities said.

"There is a lot of evidence that (the chlorine attacks) actually did take place,” UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said.

"If it did take place, it is a war crime,” Mr Mistura added.

Syrian Human Rights Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told the AFP he could not confirm that any kind of gas had in fact been used, despite multiple civilian claims chlorine had been used.

A local man receiving treatment in hospital after the alleged gas attacks told BBC News he “felt his eyes burning” and had “difficulty breathing”.

“The smell was very strong- beyond any description,” he said.

The amount of chlorine attacks in Syria has increased since the country destroyed a stockpile of deadly chemical weapons in 2013.

Nearly 1,500 people were killed in Syrian gas attacks between 2012-2015, the Syrian Medical Society reported.