Cairo, Ramadan 27, 1434, Aug 5, 2013, SPA -- Syrian opposition activists Monday accused government forces of using chemical weapons on rebel-held areas near the capital Damascus, days after the United Nations said a team of chemical weapons investigators would head to Syria as soon as possible, dpa reported. The head of the Britain-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, quoted activists as saying that at least 30 rebel fighters showed signs of exposure to poison gas in Adra, north-east of Damascus. Activists said regime forces used the gas as they tried to enter the rebel strongholds over the past two days. Dozens of people from Adra were hospitalized, suffering from vomiting, shortness of breath and convulsions, they added. Videos posted online purported to show people in a hospital in nearby Douma wheezing, choking and convulsing. -- SPA 20:02 LOCAL TIME 17:02 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1135012