RT.com
08 Feb 2023, 00:13 GMT+10
The UN's health body has warned of the challenges of providing aid to vulnerable people
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that up to 23 million people could be affected by this week's major earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. The disaster has already killed thousands and may cause harm to many more in the long run, including five million people who are already in a vulnerable state, a senior official warned.
The tremors caused significant damage to civilian and health infrastructure in the affected region, Dr. Adelheid Marschang, the WHO's senior emergency officer, reported during a meeting of the international body's executive committee on Tuesday.
The organization believes that Syria may suffer most from "unmet needs" in the immediate and mid-term, Marschang told the meeting in Geneva, as cited by AFP.
WHO Secretary General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged that the agency will "work closely with all partners to support authorities in both countries in the critical hours and days ahead, and in the months and years to come as both countries recover and rebuild."
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc across southern Türkiye and northern Syria on Monday, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks, some of which caused further destruction. Many buildings collapsed, killing thousands of people and trapping many others under the rubble.
The rescue effort in Syria has been hampered by the damage that the nation's civilian infrastructure has suffered during a decade of foreign-influenced conflict.
Washington has economic sanctions in place against the government in Damascus, which it sought to replace during the hostilities. The measures have been blamed for hindering reconstruction efforts in areas under the government's control. Many critics, including UN officials, have said the restrictions violate Syrians' human rights.
It is estimated that troops from the US and its allies hold roughly one third of Syrian territory, including parts that are rich in oil and fertile land.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of North Carolina Daily news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to North Carolina Daily.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were directionless Tuesday as investors had little to digest ahead of next week's ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks started the week under pressure on Monday. "Markets are catching their breath after ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: A JPMorgan Chase & Co spokesperson has confirmed that as part of the bank's efforts ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Pentagon said this week that the satellite communications service started by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX's Starlink, has ...
CHICAGO, Illinois: Driven by an ongoing shortage of properties available on the market, in March US single-family home prices rose ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks surged on Friday on the debt ceiling resolution and a strong jobs report.Nonfarm ...
HARTFORD, Connecticut: Following a state Senate debate and vote to approve Connecticut's most comprehensive gun legislation since the laws put ...
SPENCER, Massachusetts: Spencer, Massachusetts Fire Chief Robert Parsons has said that a June 2 fire that burned down a 160-year-old ...
MENLO PARK, California: Facebook parent Meta has said that under a trial that could last through the end of June, ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Biden administration is expected to approve a deal allowing General Electric to assemble jet engines in India ...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Landowners in California participated this week in a class organized by the El Dorado Amador Prescribed Burn ...
TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwan and the United States are set to sign the first deal under a new trade framework, marking ...