United Nations, Nov 21 (IANS): Tens of thousands of children have been killed or maimed in fighting in Syria, Kevin Kennedy, the UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis, has said.

The Syrian conflict was robbing children of their future, Xinhua quoted Kennedy as saying.

"Children have lost their lives to air strikes, mortars, artillery, shooting, car bombs and improvised explosive devices," he said.

He said a quarter of schools in the country can no longer be used because they have been destroyed, damaged or were sheltering thousands of displaced families or the military.

Kennedy's grim statement came on the occasion of Universal Children's Day on Friday.

He said the Syrian conflict have a "particularly heinous" impact on the country's youngest citizens.

He listed recent incidents such as the deaths of 19 children who were struck by a missile while playing in the city of Homs.

"The conflict is a living nightmare for everyone, particularly for children, robbing them of their childhood and their futures," Kennedy said.

"We are closer than ever to losing a whole generation of children to despair, illiteracy and darkness."

The statement called for all parties to the Syrian conflict to implement a nationwide ceasefire and put an end to the fighting.