Search for survivors in quake-hit Aleppo comes to end
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – An exclusive source in the Civil Defense of the Syrian government in Aleppo said on Saturday that search and rescue operations for potential survivors came to an end last night.
On Friday, the Syrian government declared the areas worst affected by Monday’s deadly earthquakes – Latakia, Hama, Aleppo and Idlib – as disaster zones and set up a fund for their reconstruction.
Regarding the total number of survivors, the source, who preferred not to be named, said that he is not authorized to give the full toll, indicating that the matter is up to the Syrian Ministry of Health.
The source pointed out to North Press that 50 teams of engineers from public safety committees, headed by the city council leadership, are surveying at-risk buildings in the Aleppo Governorate.
The source noted that the instructions given to them require that they evacuate all at-risk buildings and start coordinating the demolition of high-risk buildings, based on the degree of the damage.
At dawn on Monday, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing tens of thousands and injuring many more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction to buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
The search for victims and survivors continues in other affected areas amid great difficulty, due to the lack adequate equipment and freezing weather.
On Saturday, the number of victims of the earthquake had risen to 3.713 in the Syrian government-held areas, including 1.387 deaths and 2.326 injuries, according to the Ministry of Health.