Rescue teams continue to work for the third day non-stop in search of survivors among the rubble of buildings destroyed by the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey at dawn last Monday. The earthquake was a humanitarian disaster resulting in significant material and human losses.
The White Helmets appealed to all humanitarian organizations and international bodies to provide material support and assistance to organizations that continue to respond to the disaster and help the victims of the earthquake urgently.
Death toll from the devastating earthquake in Syria
The White Helmets said that the death toll of the earthquake in northwestern Syria has risen to more than 1,540 deaths and more than 2,750 injured. They noted that the number is likely to rise continuously due to the presence of hundreds of families under the rubble.
Syria Today – Devastating Earthquake Death Toll Exceeds 7,200
They added that the number of completely collapsed buildings rose to more than 400, while the number of partially collapsed buildings exceeded 1,300, with thousands of other buildings cracked.
The Ministry of Health announces the death toll of the earthquake
The Ministry of Health in Damascus announced that the death toll has risen to 1,262 deaths, and 2,285 injuries in the governorates of Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, Idleb countryside and Tartous– noting that it is not final.
The ministry said that the number of victims of the earthquake is likely to rise significantly due to the presence of hundreds of families stuck under the rubble, with a lack of equipment and heavy machinery necessary to lift them. It noted that 210 buildings were completely destroyed, and more than 520 buildings partially cracked, in addition to the cracking of thousands of buildings and homes.
The Syrian regime’s Minister of Education, Darem Tabbaa, said that the number of schools damaged, in whole or in part, reached 248 in the governorates of Aleppo, Lattakia, Tartous and rural Idleb.
The death toll from the earthquake in the city of Jableh in Lattakia rose to 254 deaths and 171 injuries ranging from mild to severe.
The regime’s news agency SANA, quoting the head of the city council, Ahmed Qandil, said that an engineering committee from the municipality of Jableh revealed the presence of five buildings prone to falling, including the building of the water and finance institutions.
Bab Al Hawa Crossing
The management of the Bab al-Hawa crossing – the border with Turkey – north of Idleb confirmed that no aid has entered northwestern Syria, since the disaster of the devastating earthquake that struck the region, at dawn last Monday.
The management of the Bab al-Hawa crossing said in a statement on Wednesday that “with the third day of the devastating earthquake that struck the regions of southern Turkey and northern Syria, we confirm that no aid has reached northwestern Syria from any party, whether UN or otherwise.”
Crossing staff “are ready to facilitate the passage of any relief convoys, volunteer teams, equipment to help remove rubble or anything to relieve our afflicted people,” it said.
The head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission, Badr Jamous, announced earlier on Wednesday that the Turkish authorities allowed humanitarian aid to enter northern Syria from three border crossings.
White Helmets: Thousands of lives still trapped under rubble
The White Helmets said on Wednesday that hundreds of families and thousands of lives are still stuck under the rubble, as a result of the devastating earthquake.
“Thousands of people are still stuck and waiting for help from under the rubble of destroyed buildings,” the White Helmets said. They posted a video showing the scale of the massive destruction in the town of Jindires in the Afrin region – bordering Turkey – northwest of Aleppo.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
