While stating that the dead toll from the earthquake that also rocked Turkey, which has now reached more than 33,000, is expected to climb significantly, the United Nations criticised the failure to send critically needed help to war-torn parts of Syria.
Martin Griffiths, the leader of the UN relief effort, claimed that even though a convoy of supplies for northwest Syria had arrived via Turkey, much more was still needed for the millions of people whose homes had been destroyed.
‘The people in northwest Syria have been let down by us thus far. Rightfully, they feel abandoned. Searching for unresponsive foreign assistance,’ Griffiths stated on Twitter.
When assessing the devastation in southern Turkey on Saturday (February 11), when the death toll was at 28,000, Griffiths had told Sky News that he predicted the death toll to ‘double or more’ as the chances of locating survivors dwindled with every passing day.
Supplies have taken a long time to reach Syria, where the country’s healthcare system has been devastated by years of war and where rebels fighting President Bashar al-government, Assad’s which is subject to Western sanctions, still hold sway in certain regions.
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