Medical officials: airstrikes knock out 2 Aleppo hospitals

This Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 photo, provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, shows a Civil Defense worker carrying the body of a child after airstrikes hit al-Shaar neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria. Pope Francis has decried the assault on the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying those responsible for the bombing must answer to God. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) (The Associated Press)

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

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

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.

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