- Earthquake disaster: UN chief welcomes Syria decision to open aid corridors
Only a single crossing point – Bab al-Hawa – has been open to humanitarians since the 6 February earthquakes struck across the border region of southern Türkiye and northwest Syria, which has been in the grip of civil war for the past 12 years, and is the last remaining region partly under the control of opposition forces.
“I welcome the decision today by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to open the two crossing points of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee from Türkiye to northwest Syria for an initial period of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid”, António Guterres said in a statement.
As hope fades of bringing more survivors out alive from the ruins, in Syria, more than 4,300 deaths had been reported in the northwest on Sunday. Deaths in Türkiye have reportedly now exceeded 31,000.
It’s clear that “delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency”, added Mr. Guterres.
“Opening these crossing points – along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs”, he added, “will allow more aid to go in, faster.”
Sub Editor: Arslan Majeed