19 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The deputy to the UN special representative in Syria, Najat Rochdi, reported this Sunday that there are at least 8.8 million people affected by the earthquake two weeks ago in Syria alone and stressed that most will need humanitarian aid.
“At least 8.8 million people in Syria are affected by the earthquake and most will need some kind of humanitarian aid. The UN is absolutely committed to helping all Syrians,” Rochdi said on his Twitter account.
Activists and rescuers have denounced the lack of UN aid in northwestern Syria controlled by forces opposed to President Bashar al Assad. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths has already visited the area and has acknowledged that the UN has failed the victims in this part of the country.
There are also bureaucratic obstacles and logistical problems such as the lack of road infrastructure in good condition after years of war. Thus, the smaller trucks could have delivered aid much sooner than the large trucks normally used.
So far, 140 trucks have arrived from Turkey to the rebel areas of northwestern Syria. In this region, more than 9,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged by the earthquake and at least 11,000 people have lost their homes, so the most necessary material is now to have tents.
