The world's chemical weapons watchdog said Thursday (April 13th) that allegations of a chemical attack in the Syrian opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhun that killed at least 87 people, were "credible", AFP reported.

Following last week's deadly attack, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said technical experts analysed the available information "and their preliminary assessment (was) that this was a credible allegation".

OPCW director general Ahmet Uzumcu told members of the 41-state executive council that a fact-finding mission already had collected samples after the attack, which were sent to OPCW-designated laboratories for analysis.

"OPCW experts are currently analysing all information gathered from various sources" and are expected to "complete their work within the next two to three weeks", Uzumcu said.

"Our experts are fully aware of the significance of the task they are expected to fulfill and I am confident that they will do it in a professional and impartial manner using all available technical means," Uzumcu said.

The watchdog's executive council will meet again next week to continue the discussions over the April 4th attack at Khan Sheikun, Uzumcu said.