MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus paid his first visit on Wednesday to the earthquake-stricken areas in northwestern Syria that are not controlled by Damascus, AFP reported.

According to the news agency, the WHO chief drove through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited three hospitals and a temporary accommodation shelter for the survivors near the Turkish border.

Two powerful 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, within nine hours on February 6. The quakes have caused extensive destruction and suffering in ten Turkish provinces. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were also felt in neighboring countries, of which Syria was the worst affected. On February 22, the province of Hatay was again struck by two quakes of 6.4 and 5.8 magnitude.

The Syrian Health Ministry reported that at least 1,414 Syrians died in the natural disaster, and 2,349 more were injured. Since the regions outside Damascus’ control were the most affected, international nongovernmental organizations fear that the number of casualties is higher.