Dozens deaths, Collapsed Buildings in Syria’s Afrin Earthquake
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – On Monday at dawn, more than 50 people lost their lives, including women and children, and hundreds were injured in the city of Afrin in the northern countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria, in the aftermath of an earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northwest Syria.
A local source told North Press that more than 50 people lost their lives and hundreds were wounded as a result of collapsed residential buildings in Afrin that were hit by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
Syria witnessed at 4:17 am an earthquake affected by another stronger one that hit Turkey’s Gaziantep.
Several buildings fell to the ground following the earthquake in Jindires district in Afrin. There is no precise number of casualties as some residents are still trapped under the rubble, according to the source.
Hospitals in Jindires and Afrin urge people to donate blood to help the wounded.
Al-Vilat and al-Mazout streets sustained severe damages as several residential buildings collapsed amid attempts to rescue trapped people under the rubbles.
The White Helmets, (known as Syria Civil Defense) affiliated with the Turkish-backed armed Syrian opposition, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), in Afrin declared northwest Syria as a completely devastated area and announced a state of alert to contain the damages.
Since the beginning of 2023, Turkish-backed factions have cut down 1.114 trees in Afrin, according to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press.
On Jan. 20, 2018, the Turkish forces and the SNA launched the so-called “Olive Branch” military operation to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting “Turkish national security.”
The operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 42 villages and five camps in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region, since then.