An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council has called for a prompt investigation into an alleged chemical weapons attack outside the Syrian capital, Damascus.

"There is a strong concern among council members about the allegations and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened and the situation must be followed closely," Argentina's UN ambassador, Maria Cristina Perceval, told reporters after a two-hour, closed-door emergency meeting of the council, according to Al Jazeera.

She added that council members - who were briefed by Deputy-Secretary General Jan Eliasson - "welcomed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's determination to ensure a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation".

Some 35 member states have called for UN weapons inspectors already in Syria to be dispatched immediately to the scene, the BBC informs.

Opposition activists said that more than 1,000 people were killed after government forces launched rockets with toxic agents into the Damascus suburbs in the Ghouta region early on Wednesday.

The Syrian government has denied the allegations, describing them as "illogical and fabricated". The Syrian army said the opposition made up the claims to divert attention from the huge losses its forces had suffered recently.

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