Blood Donations Requested in Deir ez-Zor in Anticipation of Earthquake
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – An official in the Health Committee of the Deir ez-Zor Civil Council, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), said on Wednesday that the committee launched an initiative for blood donations as part of an emergency plan in anticipation of any potential earthquake.
On Monday at 4:17 am, Syria and Turkey were rocked by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was located near Gaziantep, southern Turkey, killing and injuring thousands of people in the both countries.
Hundreds are believed to still be trapped under the rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings, as rescue teams in Syria work tirelessly to extract them.
Tha’er al-Guraid, co-chair of the Health Committee in the Deir ez-Zor Civil Council, said that they declared a state of emergency in public and private hospitals and health centers.
The Committee launched a blood donations campaign to prepare stocks of all blood types, the source told North Press.
Al-Guraid indicated that the state of emergency also included informing civilians of emergency phone numbers, adding that the Health Committee is in constant contact with the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor and the Health Board of the AANES, to provide all health services to the population.
The death toll of the devastating earthquakes in Syria has reached 2.098, while 4.106 have been injured, according to the Ministry of Health of the Syrian government, the Syrian opposition in Idlib, and the Health Board of the AANES.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations in search for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings continue.