(Independent) – “It was like hell. In the hospital it was very quiet despite all the people. Everyone was crying, crying from the gas, crying from looking at the bodies. It was so full, people were laid out on the floor. I almost stepped on the body of my friend. I didn’t even realise it was him,” said Nour Aden, an activist from East Ghouta, remembering the events of 21 August 2013.