Latakia governor says aid received for quake-hit people insufficient

A devastated building in Ghazalat Street in the city of Jableh in southern Latakia Governorate, western Syria, as a result of the disastrous earthquake that stuck Syria on Feb. 6, 2023. – North Press
A devastated building in Ghazalat Street in the city of Jableh in southern Latakia Governorate, western Syria, as a result of the disastrous earthquake that stuck Syria on Feb. 6, 2023. – North Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Amer Hilal, governor of Latakia Governorate, western Syria, said on Tuesday that financial aid for earthquake victims covered 22,000 families out of nearly 200,000 affected families in the governorate.

With a total of 890,045 affected individuals, Latakia Governorate is one of most affected regions by the February 2023 earthquake, along with Idlib and Aleppo Governorates in northwestern Syria,

Hilal, in an interview with the semi-official Al-Watan Newspaper, said the authorities provided 22,000 affected families with 3.15 million Syrian pounds (SYP), each. The total amount provided reached approximately 70 billion SYP.

On Feb. 6, 2023, a devastating earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, resulting in 5,957 killed and more than 12,000 injured in Syria alone, according to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press.

Hilal said that 850 schools were damaged in the governorate, of which only 71 schools have been rehabilitated.

He added that the number of ships carrying post-quake aid that arrived at the port of Latakia exceeded 108, and that 138 aircraft carrying aid arrived at the Latakia International Airport.

By Agid Meshmesh