MSF hospital destroyed in Syria

Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital (Reuters)
Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital (Reuters)

A hospital supported by aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been struck in Syria, killing dozens of patients and staff.

At least 27 patients and staff were killed in the attack on the hospital in Aleppo, including three doctors and one of the last paediatricians in the city, according the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Three children were also among those killed and the death toll is expected to rise.

It's believed more people died in a building next to the hospital, with the head of a rescue service saying it's likely at least 50 people have died. A recovery operation is underway.

Eight doctors and 28 nurses worked at the hospital, which was the main referral centre for paediatrics. It contained an intensive care unit, an operating theatre and an emergency room, all of which were destroyed in the attack.

The hospital was "well-known" in the rebel-held city, MSF says.

The aid group has condemned the strike, criticising the targeting of hospitals on its Twitter account.

Newshub.