MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Several thousand residential buildings in Syria have been severely damaged by the earthquake and could collapse at any moment, Major General Safwan Bahlul, the head of the Syrian Arab Republic’s Civil Defense Forces, told TASS.

According to him, damaged buildings in Latakia, Aleppo and other cities are "time bombs", and it is extremely difficult to solve this problem given the economic crisis triggered by the sanctions imposed on Syria. "Several thousand houses are about to collapse," he said, emphasizing the danger posed by the numerous aftershocks.

The head of the Syrian Civil Defense Forces said the country was relying on the help of friendly states, including Russia.

Two powerful 7.7-magnitude and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on February 6. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in ten provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria. According to the Syrian health ministry, the death toll from the quake on government-controlled territories has climbed to 1,414. As many as 2,349 people were injured and taken to hospitals.