Syrian father whose wife and twins were killed + 22 relatives die in ‘gas attack’

A devastated father whose wife and twin children were killed in a suspected sarin gas attack in Syria watched as 19 members of his family died one after another – an hour after the chemical weapon struck, it has emerged.

Heartbreaking images show Abdul Hamid al-Youssef cradling his nine-month-old boy and girl in his arms in the wake of the chemical ‘sarin gas’ attack in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria.

The grief-stricken father cradled his the twins, Aya and Ahmed, each in the crook of an arm. Stroking their hair, he choked back tears, mumbling, ‘Say goodbye, baby, say goodbye’ to their lifeless bodies.

Then Mr Youssef took them to a mass grave where 22 members of his family were being buried. Each branch of the clan got its own trench.

More than 80 people, including at least 30 children and 20 women, were killed in the chemical attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun early Tuesday, and the toll could still rise.

Renewed air strikes hit Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday, as cities around Syria were affected by raids.

The al-Youssef family, one of the town’s main clans, was hardest hit by the chemical attack.

Source: Syrian father watched 22 relatives die in ‘gas attack’ | Daily Mail Online