UN official in Syria: Rescue phase is coming to an end

While the number of people who lost their lives in northwestern Syria in the earthquakes and aftershocks centered on Kahramanmaraş exceeded 4,300, the senior United Nations (UN) official in charge of humanitarian aid, Martin Griffiths, said the rescue phase was “close to the end.”

Griffiths, who carried out investigations in Aleppo, Syria, where he persecuted Turkey, said that housing, food, education and psychosocial care became urgent after the quakes. “The most amazing thing here is that even in Aleppo, where it has been so difficult for so many years, this moment, that moment, was the worst that people have ever experienced,” Griffiths said.

The senior official added that the UN aid will be sent from the areas under the control of the Damascus government to the north-western region, which was heavily damaged by the earthquake and under the control of the opposition.

Griffiths, who visited seismic zones in Turkey last week, said the loss of life in Turkey and Syria in the earthquakes centered on Kahramanmaraş could exceed 50,000.

The number of people who lost their lives as a result of the earthquakes in northwestern Syria has so far exceeded 4,300, while more than 7,600 people were injured. While rescue efforts continue with difficulty in the region where thousands of houses were destroyed, the cholera epidemic is also causing concern.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that international aid to Syria must be urgently accelerated.