DAMASCUS: Rescuers in Syria are struggling with difficult conditions and a lack of equipment as they search for survivors after Monday’s devastating earthquake.
A White Helmet volunteer, who gave his name only as Mohammed, said that the search was “very slow” overnight in Idlib and other affected areas due to a storm which hit the area and the lack of heavy equipment to remove rubble.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that both rescue workers in government-controlled and opposition areas lack the right heavy equipment to deal with the debris, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
He added that buildings have completely or partially fallen in 58 villages, towns, and cities in Syria, most of which are within the north-western regions of Syria, including Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo within the areas of regime control.
The state-run Syrian News Agency cited the Health Ministry as saying that the number of dead had risen to 764 with 1,448 injured in the governorates of Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, Idlib countryside, and Tartous.
The White Helmets gave a toll of 792 killed and 2,082 wounded in opposition areas on Tuesday, saying in a tweet that “time is running out.”
“Hundreds still trapped under the rubble. Every second could mean saving a life. We appeal to all humanitarian organisations and international bodies to provide material support and assistance to organizations responding to this disaster.”
Rola Amin, UNHCR spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, told dpa that immediate relief was needed: “Not just shelters ... emergency relief items like blankets, thermal and winter clothes, hygiene items.”
“The most severe snow storm is also hitting the region and many stayed out all night in the snow and rain and freezing temperatures,“ she told dpa. - Bernama
