Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Between 17 and 28 civilians were reportedly killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime air, artillery, and rocket strikes on Erbeen in Eastern Ghouta on March 19th, according to local media sources. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 15 children and two women were killed in the attack.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “17 children and a woman were killed and tens of others were injured in a massacre after targeting a shelter under a school in Arbin city in the Eastern Ghouta.”
The airstrike targeted a building that civilians turned into a shelter in Erbeen. Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) said on its Facebook page that among the dead were 15 children and two women who died as a result of aerial bombardment, believed to be by the regime warplanes which targeted a shelter that housed several families.
The Local Coordination Committees of Syria (LCCSY) blamed Russian warplanes, while the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SN4HR) blamed the Syrian and/or Russian forces for the attack.
According to an initial report by SN4HR, “7 civilians (5 children and 2 women)” died; however SN4HR later revised its estimate to “17 (15 children and 2 women)” killed.
The London-based Telegraph reported: “Rescuers in Syria are searching for survivors of an air strike in besieged Eastern Ghouta which killed 15 children who had been hiding in the basement of a school.
The children, and two women who were also killed, had been hiding below ground in the Arbin neighbourhood to escape Syrian and Russian strikes which have pummelled the area for weeks.
The opposition National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces alleged that the shelter had been deliberately targeted by Russian aircraft, and that they were responsible for a ‘massacre’.”
Damascus countryside White Helmets raised the death toll to 28 saying “Arbeen: The number of martyrs reached 28 martyrs yesterday, including 20 martyrs after targeting one of the shelters that house civilians in the city after dozens of raids and barrels of warplanes and helicopters, in addition to dozens of missiles and rockets on the residential neighborhoods in the city.”
@radwanalbasha reported “17 air strikes, 10 explosive barrels and artillery and rocket shelling”.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the town of Arbeen (عربين), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.538143, 36.364331. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (24) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]
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The aftermath of airstrikes, 19th March 2018. (via SN4HR)
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Children injured in an alleged Russian forces or Syrian regime forces airstrike on Erbeen, March 19th, 2018.
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The basement that was turned into a shelter by civilians and was later taregtted by an alleged Russian or Syrian forces airstrike. Erbeen, March 19th, 2018
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Airstrike on Erbeen, March 19th 2018
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