- Lena Chekhuni
- BBC World Service
image source, Ismael Alrej
Ismael and his six-year-old son were hospitalized five minutes before the earthquake.
It’s every parent’s nightmare. your child is sick you take him to the hospital and then the doctor took it for treatment
You let out a sigh of relief. and stepped out of the hospital following 1 minute
But in that minute The life of journalist Ismael in the northern Syrian province of Idlib. changed in the blink of an eye
at 4:18 a.m. local time A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has shaken the southeastern region of Turkey. Right next to the Syrian border, everything around him trembled violently for 2 minutes.
“Then the earthquake got stronger,” Ismael told BBC News over a constant phone call.
“The lights went out and the glass at the entrance to the hospital started to shatter.”
He saw two residential buildings regarding 150 meters away collapsed. and feel confused in the dark
Ismael describes the situation as “It’s like an end of the world scene. I began to think regarding how to save my son from the ruins.”
A minute later, he saw Mustafa. The son came running startled scream The boy pulled out the saline line. causing blood to gush out from his arm.
About an hour following the accident, no one was able to reach the collapsed building. At the same time, they might not ask for help from the Civil Defense. because the power was out and the internet signal was cut off
image source, Syrian American Medical Society
Doctors in Northern Syria are in need of medical supplies following the earthquake.
Al-Dana is a town under rebel-held Syrian rebel control in Idlib province. near the Turkish border
The Civil Defense Service is the only agency involved in rescue operations in the absence of government agencies in the area. But the severity of this earthquake making them unable to help the victims thoroughly
a few hours later Ismael issues damage assessment in Idlib province
He described what he saw. “The damage is too great to describe. The hardest-hit areas are those that have been bombed by the Syrian government and the Russian military.”
The 2011 uprising once morest the Syrian government plunged the country into a protracted civil war. The Russian-backed Syrian government has bombarded rebel-held areas.
The conflict has turned northwestern Syria into a territory controlled by rebel forces. Alternate with Syrian government-controlled territories.
Ismael saw many residential buildings in Atareb. The northern part of Aleppo was devastated by the earthquake.
He said, “There are many buildings and neighborhoods where rescuers can’t help. due to lack of equipment.”
“We need help from international organizations,” he said.
precious resource
Dr. Osama Sallum works for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports hospitals across rebel-held northwestern Syria.
He was at a hospital in Atareb. A few hours following the earthquake
“When I left the hospital “About 53 people were killed and countless were wounded,” he recalled. The death toll rose to more than 120.
image source, Syrian American Medical Society
Debris fell onto a sick bed at Al-Dana Hospital.
Dr Sallum said the hospital had insufficient resources to accommodate the injured in a major disaster.
He said, “Most people rescued from the ruins with deep wounds It needs specialized treatment and modern equipment.”
He said Atareb’s hospital has only one CT scanner, and most of the medical aid comes from Turkey. and must pass a rigorous inspection process
Therefore, it is not clear whether What kind of medical equipment will be sent into rebel-held areas at a time when Turkey is also facing a humanitarian crisis?
Dr Sallum said: “If the current medical supply runs out, We’ll be in trouble.”
the fear that returns
The quake also affected areas in the northern Syrian government.
Aya, who did not wish to reveal her last name told the BBC that She was visiting her family in Latakia when the earthquake struck.
The 26-year-old chef was woken up in the middle of the night by a strong tremor. And found that both mother and 3 siblings also woke up.
image source, Archyde.com via SANA
Latakia city which is a government-controlled area, was also badly damaged by the earthquake.
Aya’s mother, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, is in a panic.
“I was shocked and froze. I just watched the wall sway and sway,” she recalled.
“I can’t describe how crazy the situation is.”
After the incident, Aya was unable to find a taxi. or a temporary shelter for mothers and siblings to take refuge Fortunately, in the end, she and her family were able to travel to Damascus. But they are not sure if they will be able to return to their home in Latakia once more.
image source, BBC News
there is concern that Rebel territories in the north may have no one to help the victims. and assess the damage
“We have faced a war and had to leave the house in 2012,” she recalled. The resulting earthquake had once once more awakened her fears.
“I felt at that moment that everything around me might collapse.”
“I might have lost a mother or a sibling. It was a very strong and difficult feeling.”
even in a safe area But the fear has not faded.
“It was like a wound opened up once more. A huge wound that is slowly healing has opened once more,” she said of the trauma of a decade of civil war.
“This wound has reopened for all Syrians without exception,” said Ayala.
image source, Dr. Osama Salloum
Dr. Osama Sallum is concerned for the welfare of those who have been left homeless by the earthquake.
For Dr Sallum, the quake reminded him of the terrible times he spent in hard-hit Aleppo.
“I felt death approaching. I heard the building and the bricks fell,” he recalled of the earthquake. and heard the panic of people crying for help.
“It was a difficult day. and can’t see the end.”