For families and rescuers in Syria worn out by nearly 12 years of shelling and relocation, a devastating earthquake on Monday looked hauntingly familiar with wailng children, collapsed buildings, and hospitals full of bodies.
In the country’s north, where airstrikes and shelling have already traumatized the populace and undermined the foundations of numerous houses, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake drove residents running into the streets.
Where a multi-story building previously stood, a mound of concrete, steel rods, and bundles of clothing now stand in the rebel-held town of Jandaris in the Aleppo region.
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“Under there were 12 families. None of them emerged. not one “said a skinny young man with bandaged hand, eyes wide with horror. As he talked, his breath could be seen in the chilly winter air as he remarked, “We were hauling people out ourselves at three in the morning.”
In search of survivors, young men could be seen digging through the rubble and slamming hammers upon concrete slabs. Solar panels and dented water tanks in Syria had crashed on the soggy ground after flying from roofs.
At least 147 people were reportedly killed in opposition-held northwest Syria, according to The White Helmets, a rescue organization established in rebel-held territory to heal civilians harmed in bombardment. Officials estimate that more than 300 people have died and more than 1,000 have been injured in areas controlled by the government.
More than 900 people have died and more than 5,000 have been injured in Turkey, according to President Tayyip Erdogan. Raed Fares, the leader of the White Helmets, told Reuters via phone “To preserve the lives of people under the rubble, we must act quickly. We don’t have time to take a break, even though our teams are exhausted “
He claimed that over time, air strikes had rendered buildings physically vulnerable, causing them to “quickly fall,” ultimately resulting in more fatalities. According to the United Nations, 2.9 million individuals from the region have indeed been uprooted and 1.8 million are living in camps, making thousands of individuals in northwest Syria vulnerable as a result of the conflict.
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The rescue teams have spent years saving people from aircraft and ground attacks by Syrian government or Russian forces, which frequently target the same area more than once and endanger the lives of paramedics. “At least now”, Fares remarked, “no one is going to bomb us while we work.”
