Germany calls for 'air bridge' to supply besieged Aleppo

Germany's foreign minister says humanitarian aid is desperately needed in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo and that it may be necessary to form an "air bridge" to feed residents.

Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Welt am Sonntag newspaper that Germany was in talks with the US, Russia and the United Nations to try and organise "urgent humanitarian assistance" to the northern Syrian city.

Despite calls for a ceasefire and Russia's promise of a three-hour daily respite from air raids to allow in humanitarian aid, there has been no letup in the violence.

"If both parts of Aleppo continue not to receive sufficient humanitarian supplies, we should also consider the possibility of assistance by air, especially medical goods," said Steinmeier. 

In a major push last week to end a siege on opposition-held eastern Aleppo, a coalition of rebels and Islamist fighters cut off the regime's own main access road on the southern edges of the city.

Each side has used their newly acquired territory to bring food and other supplies into neighbourhoods of the city they control, but the roads into rebel-held eastern Aleppo are still not safe for civilians to use.

The fighting in Aleppo is reported to have killed at least 130 civilians since the end of July, and has damaged hospitals, clinics, and the city's power and water networks.