Earthquake displaces over 171,000 people in Syria, says humanitarian group

By Muhammad Mesto

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 171,843 people have been displaced in northwestern Syria by last week's earthquakes centered in southern Türkiye, according to a Syrian humanitarian organization.

"The UN aid is still within the minimum limits, where only 114 trucks have reached in one week, 93% of which came through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, despite the opening of two additional crossings," the Syria Response Coordination organization said on Thursday in a statement.

It added that an additional 24 international trucks were expected to enter through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh crossings.

The organization spoke of "general dissatisfaction in the region with the delay in the arrival of humanitarian aid from the UN," noting that the UN aid "did not exceed 25% of the total aid that entered northwestern Syria."

The organization criticized "the great politicization" of incoming humanitarian aid, especially international, as well as the directing of large amounts of relief to regime-controlled areas, which received "90% of the aid for the victims of the earthquake."

In Syria, at least 3,688 people were killed and over 14,749 injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors last week were centered in the province of Kahramanmaras in southern Türkiye, impacting a larger area and over 13 million inhabitants.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report