Bodies still lie under rubble in Syria

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“The cameras have been removed, but the region is still littered with rubble, with people still lying under it,” said Johan Mooij, head of the Syria mission at the children’s organization World Vision on Monday. The aid measures were “by far” insufficient to alleviate the suffering of the affected families and children.

On February 6, two magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes shook southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria. A total of more than 50,000 fatalities have been reported so far.

A storm in Syria worsened the situation, especially for those sheltered in tents. Dozens of tents were blown through the air, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Meteorologists had warned of a storm from Monday with wind speeds of around 100 kilometers per hour. A storm warning has also been issued for the earthquake zones in Turkey.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which has been very active in Syria for years, said aid funding remains “alarmingly slow”. Less than half of the nearly $400 million (376 million euros) the UN says is needed to support Syria after the disaster has been addressed so far. Even before the earthquake, the relief fund for Syria was only about half full. The EU and Sweden plan to organize a donor conference on March 16 to help earthquake victims in the region.

Those affected reported to the NRC that there was insufficient help on site. “Some people survive on just some bread and canned food, and that’s all they’ve had in a month,” NRC said. Emergency shelters are overcrowded. One woman reported sharing a room with nine families, about 45 people. “We do everything in shifts here, sleeping, eating, going to the toilet.” Since the earthquake, the NRC has supported some 60,000 people with supplies including winter supplies, drinking water, hygiene kits and cash for immediate purchases.

(SDA)

Source: Blick