Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without water following "intense attacks" on the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to the United Nations children's agency. She said that nearly two million people in the city were without water.

"Depriving children of water puts them at risk of catastrophic outbreaks of waterborne diseases," Hanaa Singer, a Unicef representative in Syria said in a statement.

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"Intense attacks" damaged a water pumping station in the rebel held area of Bab al Nayrab, she said, adding that "violence" was preventing repair teams from reaching it.

"In retaliation the Suleiman al Halabi pumping station, also located in the east, was switch off – cutting water to 1.5 million people in the western parts of the city," she said.

"It is critical for chidren's survival that all parties to the conflict stop attacks on water infrastructure," she added, before calling for access to be provided so that repairs could be made to the damaged pumping station and for the other one to be switched on.

After the tense ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia collapsed on 19 September, the Syrian government said it would continue trying to retake the city.

Four days later on 22 September, it announced a new offensive on Aleppo on a state TV, when residents were warned to "stay away" from "terrorist positions".

Since then at least 72 people, including 24 children have died during "intensive airstrikes that targeted the eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo city," according to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based activist group blamed Russian warplanes and Syrian military helicopters and planes for the deaths.

Elsewhere they said shelling by rebel forces had killed 15 people including 10 children in the village of Beshqatin, to the west of the city. A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard was among the dead. The IB Times UK was unable to independently verify this information.

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