40,000 quake-affected people in Syria still homeless – UNHCR
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – One year after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in February 2023, 40,000 Syrians remain internally displaced mainly in north Syria.
“Thousands are still homeless and vulnerable,” said Shabina Mantoo, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), speaking at a Geneva press conference earlier this week where UN agencies renewed their appeals for donors to support earthquake reconstruction.
The earthquake killed 59,000 people as well as caused widespread damage to infrastructure. A series of aftershocks as well as freezing temperatures further complicated rescue efforts for the tens of thousands injured.
The number of Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance has increased from 15.3 to 16.7 million people as the challenges of internal displacement related to years of civil war, food insecurity, and economic crises compound disaster recovery.
“We don’t have funding to even think of going into larger scale rehabilitation and reconstruction,” said Mads Brinch Hansen, head of the International Federation of the Red Cross delegation to Syria, speaking at the Geneva press conference.
“In Syria, the earthquakes hit communities that had already been deeply affected during the 13-year long conflict-driven crisis,” Hansen added.