UN: chemical experts found sarin exposure in Syria attack

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The new U.N. disarmament chief says a team from the international chemical weapons watchdog found exposure "to sarin or a sarin-like substance" in samples from an attack on April 4 in northern Syria that killed over 90 people and now wants to visit the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

Izumi Nakamitsu told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the fact-finding team received samples from dead animals reported to have been close to the site of the incident in the opposition-controlled town as well as environmental samples.

She said the team also witnessed three autopsies of alleged victims and the extraction of bio-medical samples from their bodies.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons and so has its close ally Russia, which has also carried out aerial attacks.