Resident of Aleppo, Syria are picking through the rubble of their destroyed neighbourhood after a weekend of bombings reportedly left dozens dead, including 16 children.

Syrian government helicopters are reported to have dropped barrels stuffed with explosives on nine different residential areas.

These are the worst bombing raids on the rebel held city for six months.

One rescue worker said they are having a hard time getting to victims in the rubble: “We don’t have any equipment. We do everything with our hands.”

Two years of street-to-street fighting between government and rebel forces, has left many parts of Aleppo in ruins.

However, with recent winter weather fighting had quietened down; that is; until this past weekend.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, said on Sunday that at least 22 people had been killed in the raids. By early evening local residents put the death toll at more than 50.