Aid agencies call for urgent ceasefire in besieged Syrian enclave

UN secretary-general demands suspension of fighting in eastern Ghouta, which he says is 'hell on earth'

Aid agencies, including the Red Cross and World Food Programme, are calling for an urgent ceasefire to allow them to reach the besieged Syrian enclave of eastern Ghouta, as rockets and barrel bombs dropped by pro-regime forces killed dozens more people on the fourth day of an intense assault.

The calls were echoed by the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, who demanded an immediate suspension of "all war activities" in the rebel-held Damascus suburb, which he described as a "hell on earth".