Syria maternity hospital bombed

A pregnant woman's legs were severed when the maternity hospital was bombed. Photo / Save the Children

At least two people have been killed and several, including babies, were injured in an air strike on a maternity hospital in Syria's Idlib province.

Save the Children, which supports the hospital, said the strike hit the front of the building when two operations were under way and a woman was in labour.

"Several babies were injured when their incubators crashed to the floor, and a woman who was six months' pregnant had her leg severed," the charity said.

"Two other women have shrapnel wounds to the stomach and a number of patients and staff have suffered light injuries."

Save the Children published a 15-second long video from the hospital in the immediate aftermath of the attack, showing the level of destruction. It is not yet clear who was behind the air strike.

The hospital delivered about 340 babies in June.

"Bombing a maternity hospital which is helping women living under the shadow of war to give birth safely is a shameful act, whether it was done intentionally or because due care was not taken to avoid civilian areas," said Sonia Khush, Syria director for Save the Children.

"There is no excuse, and unfortunately this is only the latest in a series of strikes on health facilities in Syria."

Syrian government air strikes put four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank in Aleppo out of action last week, according to local rescue workers. Perpetrators are not known.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Network for Human Rights has released a report on the aftermath of the cessation of hostilities agreed in February.

The NGO claims 5188 civilians have been killed and 3631 injured in the five months since then, and 71 per cent of all violations were committed by the Russian and Syrian regimes.

However, the Russian co-ordination centre in Latakia, Syria, blamed terrorist groups for what it said had been 841 violations of the agreement.