Rescue operations in Turkey and Syria are coming to an end, the UN says

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Now the emphasis is on creating camps for the homeless

The phase of rescues in Syria and Turkey is “coming to an end” after Monday’s deadly earthquake, with the focus now on providing shelter, food, education and psychological support to survivors, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Martin Griffiths said today.

“What is more impressive here is that even in Aleppo, which has suffered so much for many years, this moment, that moment (…) was the worst experience these people have ever had,” Griffiths said from the Aleppo where it is located.

The UN official also added that the agency will transport humanitarian aid from areas controlled by the Syrian government to rebel-held areas in northwest Syria.

“We will take aid from here to the northwest, but the northwest is only one part of Syria (…) it is important to take care of the people here,” Griffiths underlined.

The death toll in Syria rose sharply today, with the UN saying more than 4,300 people have been killed in the rebel-held northwest and more than 7,600 more injured. For its part, Damascus has announced 1,414 dead in the areas of Syria it controls.

Griffiths pointed out that he has heard shocking accounts from survivors in Aleppo: “People who lost their children, some who escaped, some who stayed in the building. The wounds of the people I spoke to were evident, and those wounds need to be healed by the world.”

RES-EMP

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