Death Toll in Syria Earthquake Continues to Climb says U.N.

● U.N. reports death toll from Syrian quake stands at 6,000
● Estimate is significantly higher than government reports
● U.N. disaster officials expect the number of quake dead to rise

A man walks through the ruins of Jinderis, Aleppo province, Syria, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

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As more bodies are recovered from remote sites across Syria the death toll from the recent earthquake has risen to around 3,800, according to government estimates. However, according to the U.N. the number of dead is closer to 6,000 and U.N. disaster officials fear that number could rise sharply.

Muhannad Hadi, the U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis said that the expected increase in the number of earthquake related deaths was widely expected by experts as rescue and disaster management teams continue work in challenging situations.

The devastation of the earthquake adds to the challenges faced by many Syrian citizens, large numbers of whom have been displaced by the country’s civil war. According to the U.N. spokesperson around 4.1 million people in northwest Syria were in need of aid, even prior to the earthquake.

Those affected by the disaster have been quick to criticize the speed of the U.N.’s earthquake relief efforts. However, many of delays in providing aid to those worse affected by the disaster were caused by severe quake damage to the one road that the U.N. is permitted to use in order to get across the border from Turkey to Syria.

Discussions between Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad and U.N. officials on Monday have led to an agreement to open two further crossings, however this has not stopped the criticism from many affected by the U.N.’s delayed response. Many in hard hit areas claim that the U.N. should have made use of the additional border crossings, even in the absence of express Syrian permission.