Estimates of the death toll from the reported chemical weapons attack in Syria range anywhere from 100 to up to 1,600. The Syrian government has denied opposition claims it used nerve agents in bombing the rebel-held area of Ghouta, east of Damascus. Video footage uploaded to YouTube shows frantic scenes of overwhelmed hospitals, wounded children, and lifeless bodies. Doctors who treated the victims report injuries consistent with nerve gas. If confirmed, it would stand to be the most violent incident in Syria’s more than two-year civil year and one of the worst toxic attacks in decades. But there has been no independent verification so far. The Syrian government would have launched the attack just days after international chemical weapons inspectors arrived in the country. At the United Nations, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the Syrian government should allow inspectors to visit the site of the reported attack.

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson: “This represents, no matter what the conclusions are, a serious escalation with grave humanitarian consequences and human consequences. We very much hope that we will be able to conduct the investigation. Dr. Sellström and his team are in place in Damascus. We hope that they will be given access to the area by the government.”

The Syrian regime is reportedly continuing its bombing of Ghouta today, making any immediate visit by U.N. inspectors highly unlikely.