In Syria, in the rebel region of Idlib, the February 6 earthquakes destroyed many refugee camps. Already hard hit by the civil war, many children, women and men today find themselves in extreme precariousness.
In the Sarmada camp in Syria, a few kilometers from the Turkish border, families have lost everything. Oum Omar had been living in a tent for three years. But today, she doesn’t even have a place to hide. “During the earthquake, the tents collapsed, we were terrified. Children died in the earthquake and others could die of hunger or thirst. I am afraid for the days to come. All this is between the hands of God, but I fear the worst”she tells franceinfo.
>> “They heard a person 30 minutes ago”: in Turkey, French soldiers in search of victims under the rubble
And for good reason: time is running out for rescuers who are still trying to find survivors in Turkey and Syria, two days after the terrible earthquake, the toll of which continues to grow, now exceeding 9,500 dead. In freezing cold, rescuers are racing against time to try to rescue survivors of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck at dawn on Monday. In Syria, 2,547 dead have been recorded at this stage. The balance sheet shouldclimb considerably, as hundreds of people remain trapped under the rubble“, according to White Helmets in rebel areas.
In this province of Idlib, in the northwest of the country, Khadija, 45, is also terrified. This mother is afraid that the earth will shake again. “My children spend their nights cryingshe laments. Fortunately, our tent resisted, but it is completely flooded. The tents are very fragile, they can collapse at any time. We are afraid of what will happen to us.”
“Several families have died here, their children are orphans.”
Khadija, 45-year-old Syrianat franceinfo
“The number of families on the streets continues to increase”
Displaced people in Idlib lack everything. Added to this are the extreme weather conditions, which proves the urgency not only “to search for people who may still be alive under the debris, but above all to be able to shelter this population”, specifies Molham al Ahmad, the spokesman for the local government, who regrets that humanitarian aid arrives in dribs and drabs. “We expect a catastrophic situation in the coming weeks, with risks of aftershocks and the continued collapse of dwellings. People have no shelter, no place to seek refuge. The number of families in the streets continues to increase and with the rain and snow. The situation is terrible, there are no words…”, he slips. Molham al Ahmad calls on the international community not to abandon the people of Idlib province.
The situation greatly worries the leaders of the NGOs on the spot. Raphaël Pitti, head of the Mehad association, deplores “a very, very great disaster on a humanitarian level that could never have been imagined having to undergo” its teams who act for health and international solidarity. He is particularly worried about this Syrian region of Idlib, “still in the hands of the rebels” and that “depends essentially on international humanitarian aid”.