Mother and three children dead from building collapse in Syria's Idlib

The mother and one of her children were already dead when rescuers pulled them out, while two children succumbed to their wounds shortly afterward, White Helmets say.

The two-story house was previously bombed and also heavily damaged due to rain fall.

The two-story house was previously bombed and also heavily damaged due to rain fall.

A building collapse in northwest Syria has killed a woman and three of her children, while her husband and three other children survived, the opposition Syrian Civil Defence group said.

The collapse of the building on Wednesday night on the southern edge of the city of Idlib came as northwest Syria has been witnessing weeks of rain and snow.

The cause of the collapse is unknown but the house was previously bombed and also heavily damaged due to rain fall.

The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said rescue operations in the two-story building lasted about four hours. 

The mother and one of her children were already dead when rescuers pulled them out, while two children succumbed to their wounds shortly afterward, the civil defence said.

Later at night, the father and three other children were extracted alive and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Idlib province is the last rebel stronghold in war-torn Syria, and is home to about 3 million people, many of them internally displaced.

Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.

READ MORE: Syria opposition lambasts UN's 'step for step' peace push

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Later at night, the father and three other children were extracted alive and taken to the hospital for treatment.

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