Death toll from devastating earthquakes climbs to 3,384 in Syria

By Ethem Emre Ozcan

ANKARA (AA) – At least 3,384 people have been killed and thousands injured in Syria due to a series of powerful earthquakes centered in southern Türkiye that jolted the wider region on Monday, according to figures compiled on Thursday.

At least 2,037 people have died and more than 2,950 others are injured in areas controlled by the opposition in northwestern Syria, according to figures compiled by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Syrian Civil Defense, and other local sources.

The Syrian regime’s Health Ministry has reported at least 1,347 fatalities in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Tartus, with another 2,295 people injured, raising the total number of injuries to over 5,200.

A large number of buildings were destroyed or damaged in the opposition-held areas in northern Syria, where rescue teams are frantically searching for survivors.​​​​​​​

- Call for help

Members of the Syrian National Army are also involved in the rescue efforts in the Syrian opposition-held areas.

The injured are receiving treatment at health centers while thousands of earthquake survivors whose homes were destroyed or damaged have spent the night in the open, mosques, or makeshift tents.

The Syrian Civil Defense and other local NGOs in northwestern Syria have been calling for urgent aid.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara.