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Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

Syrian Health Minister urges countries around the world to provide aid following quake

According to Hasan Muhammad al-Ghabash, many companies are unable to provide medical equipment to Syria because of sanctions

© Agencia de Noticias Hawar via AP

BEIRUT, February 8. /TASS/. Syrian Health Minister Hasan Muhammad al-Ghabash on Wednesday called on countries of the world to provide Damascus with equipment and assistance to deal with the aftermath of the February 6 earthquake, according to a statement to this effect published on the ministry's Facebook (a social media site banned in Russia since it is owned by Meta corporation deemed extremist by the Russian authorities).

"My message here is from the site of the event to all countries of the world to provide everything that can be provided in terms of equipment and aid to Syria," the minister said from Aleppo. "We thank everyone who contributed to helping those affected by the eartquake. We hope that this flow will continue and [will] not be momentary," he continued.

According to al-Ghabash, many companies are unable to provide medical equipment to Syria because of sanctions. "The blockade prevents many companies from supplying the necessary medical equipment, and we call on all organizations to intervene immediately to provide all necessary medical aid," he stressed. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad pointed to the problem on Tuesday, noting that "sanctions only exacerbate the disaster."

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey on Monday night. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in ten provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria. The Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Tartus and Hama, situated in the west and north-west of the country, were hit the hardest. The latest reports say that over than 8,500 people were killed in Turkey. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, there are more than 1,200 casualties as a result of the earthquake, with the number of injured exceeding 2,200.

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Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

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