Airstrikes hit two hospitals in rebel-held Aleppo, render them out of service

Medical officials say airstrikes have severely damaged two hospitals in eastern rebel-held Aleppo, leading to the death of two seriously ill patients.

Medical officials say airstrikes have severely damaged two hospitals in eastern rebel-held Aleppo, leading to the death of two seriously ill patients.

A wounded Syrian child is rushed into a hospital after being hit by mortar shells that targeted Aleppo's government controlled Aziziyah and Suleimaniyah neighbourhoods on September 28, 2016. (AFP)

The airstrikes early on Wednesday hit the M1 and M10 hospitals, knocking out generators and cutting off water supplies, putting them temporarily out of service.

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Mohammed Abu Rajab, head of M10 hospital, the largest of eight hospitals in eastern Aleppo, says two patients died because they could not be kept alive. He says the intensive care unit was severely damaged.

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Adham Sahloul, of the Syrian American Medical Society, based in Gaziantep, Turkey, confirmed the strikes and described them as deliberate. He says government forces know the location of both facilities.

The closures leave eastern Aleppo with six functioning hospitals, only three of which are capable of dealing with emergencies