'Nightmarish' conditions in IS-held Raqqa's only hospital

Only one functioning health facility remains operational in the Islamic State-held part of Raqqa to serve trapped civilians, as an intense US-coalition bombing campaign to recapture the city continues.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by US-led coalition warplanes - entered Raqqa in June as part of Operation Euphrates Wrath, a campaign to dislodge IS from the city.

While hundreds of thousands have fled, an estimated 25,000 civilians still remain trapped, fearing for their lives amid intense bombardments and house-to-house fighting.

New York-based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said on Friday that conditions in areas under IS control were "nightmarish", with virtually no emergency services or rescue personnel.

The lone operating hospital is using salt water to sanitise wounds and treatment of traumatic injuries is limited to stopping the bleeding, the group said based on interviews it carried out with survivors, physicians and aid workers from the city.

Other hospitals in the city have either been bombed or closed since the US coalition campaign began in June.

One doctor who escaped Raqqa in mid-August told PHR that he operated out of his home because civilians feared going to hospital in case it was bombed or they were extorted by IS militants.

The extremist group has reportedly divided the last functioning hospital into two sections, one for civilians and one for its fighters.

"Raqqa is a deathtrap where civilians who have already suffered for years under (IS) rule now also suffer the deadly consequences of the fight against (IS)," said Racha Mouawieh, Syria researcher for PHR.

In recent weeks medical supplies have dwindled and pharmacies have been closed. For civilians fleeing the city the nearest health facility is 50 miles away in Tal Abyad or 90 miles away in Kobane for a specialised trauma unit.

A new private hospital opened last week in Tabqa, around 25 miles from Raqqa.

PHR called on all parties to ensure civilians have access to medical care and safe evacuation.

The US-led coalition described reports of the violence and destruction around the area's health facilities as "abhorrent".

It reiterated that "the avoidance of civilian casualties is our highest priority when conducting strikes against legitimate military targets," but noted that casualties are inevitable in street-by-street battles with militants.

In 2014, the militant group declared Raqqa to be the de facto Syrian capital of the self-proclaimed "caliphate".

The city has been the site of some of the group's most gruesome atrocities.