Turkish-backed council deprives quake-affected families in Afrin of tents
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, Turkish-backed local council in Bulbul district in the countryside of Afrin north of Aleppo, northwest Syria, abstained from distributing tents to people hit by the devastating earthquake that struck Syria on Feb. 6 following another strong one in Turkey, leaving many in the open.
A source from Bulbul told North Press that the local council hid the tents in warehouses belonging to the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), and did not distribute them to the earthquake-affected families, who had no choice but to stay on streets.
The source added that reason for not distributing the tents has not been revealed as hundreds of families urgently need shelters.
At dawn on Monday, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands and injuring much more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
Search and pulling bodies from rubbles continue in the town of Jindires west of Afrin, which is said to be the most affected area in Syria, with hundreds deaths and injuries in addition to toppling dozens residential buildings.
The death toll across Syria after the deadly earthquake surpassed 3.587 by Sunday.
The Civil Defense, affiliated with the Syrian opposition, in Idlib announced 2.167 deaths and 2.950 injuries in northwest Syria.
1.414 deaths and 2.349 injuries were reported in the government-held areas, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.