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Some 58,000 Palestinian refugees affected by earthquake in Syria — TV

As UNRWA noted, work is underway to provide assistance to the victims

CAIRO, February 8. /TASS/. At least 58,000 refugees from Palestine were affected by the devastating earthquake that hit Syria on Monday, the Al Arabiya television reported, citing data from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"We are working to provide urgent aid to Palestinian refugees in Syria," the reported quoted UNRWA as saying. "The earthquake affected 58,000 Palestinians."

Palestinian Ambassador to Syria Samir al-Rifai said the confirmed death toll among Palestinian refugees in Syria stood at 44 as of Tuesday evening. Palestine’s WAFA news agency said at least 18 Palestinians were killed in Turkey as a result of the earthquake.

Earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 hit the Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey on Monday. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in ten provinces, as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria. Latest casualty reports say that almost 5,900 people had been killed and almost 35,000 injured.

According to the Syrian Health Ministry, more than 800 people have fallen victim to the natural disaster in Syria, with over 1,400 people injured. No casualty reports for areas outside the Syrian government’s control are available at the moment. However, according to an Al Jazeera report, the tremor claimed the lives of over 1,000 people in Syria’s northern regions, over 2,400 were injured.