BEIRUT: A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down hours earlier. A spokesman for Syria civil defence said 33 people were affected by the gas in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province. The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube apparently showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defence uniforms. “Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian civil defence was not able to determine the type of the gas,” said the spokesman.

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