CCTV reporter at ground zero after Syria 'chemical' attack

 

Amidst claims and counter-claims of chemical weapons attack in the Ghouta suburb of Damascus, CCTV reporter Wang Weiwei was able to enter the area to ascertain the truth for herself.

CCTV reporter Wang Weiwei was able to enter the area to ascertain the truth for herself.?

This place is safe to enter only in an armored vehicle. Ghouta has been a battleground between government and rebel forces for over 4 months.

Some 500 meters from this building, soldiers claim they came under chemical weapons attack. The government has just taken control of the building after a large-scale military operation last Wednesday.

"As soon as we got here, we could smell something peculiar. I don't know where the smell is coming from. Maybe we'll find out, if we enter the building," CCTV reporter Wang Weiwei said.

The basement of the building is huge....with all rooms, but one destroyed....

Hand grenades...mortar bombs....adhesive tapes....chemical fertilizers...detonators...everything you need to make explosives, are all here.

It's these barrels which are most disconcerting.

"These gas masks were left by opposition fighters. Government forces told us not to touch these barrels. I asked them what's inside; they told me they don't know," Wang Weiwei said.

There are also some medicines here. Some soldiers say these have been used to treat injuries caused by chemical weapons.

The army doctor said that there were 36 cases of suspected chemical weapon attacks. Some soldiers are being treated in a military hospital now.

"I heard an explosion. Not a big one, but a small one as I was trying to enter a stronghold held by militants. Then I smelled something weird. It was hard to stand that smell. Then I experienced headaches and difficulty in breathing. My fellow soldiers experienced the same symptoms. We cannot see things clearly," an "attack" victim said.

The alleged attack has spurred demands for an independent investigation - an investigation that Syria has reportedly agreed to by giving permission to UN inspectors to access the site.

Many hope the investigation will clear the air on what is fast becoming a dirty war, in more ways than one.