afrinpost – Follow-up
The Civil Defense in northwestern Syria announced the recovery of the body of a child, this morning, Friday, in the city of Jindires in the countryside of Afrin, bringing the number to 513 deaths and more than 830 injuries, on the fifth day of the devastating earthquake that ribbed Syria and Turkey at the dawn of February 6.
Rescue efforts are ongoing in the devastated city of Jindires, but the chances of finding survivors beneath the debris are decreasing due to the slow progress of rubble removal by rescue teams, as well as the scarcity of necessary resources and the closure of border crossings by Turkish authorities, which have significantly compounded the humanitarian crisis.
The death toll from the earthquake in northwestern Syria rose to more than 2,037 deaths and more than 2,950 injuries, while the death toll in areas controlled by the Syrian regime rose to 1,347 deaths, and the injured to 2,295.
In related news, the Council of Ministers in the Damascus government announced today, Friday, that the governorates of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Idlib have been affected by the damages caused by the devastating earthquake.”
The Turkish Disaster Management Authority announced that the number of casualties from the devastating earthquake has risen to 18,342 deaths and 74,242 injuries.
This morning, 14 bodies of Syrians who were killed in the earthquake in southern Turkey were brought through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, bringing the total number of bodies transferred from Turkey to Syria to 544.
On Friday, the US Treasury issued a general authorization allowing for a period of 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief in Syria, which were previously prohibited under the sanctions regulations imposed on the country.
In a statement issued by the Ministry, Wali Adeyou, the US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, declared that as international allies and humanitarian partners come together to assist those affected by the earthquake, US sanctions in Syria will not impede efforts to save the lives of the Syrian people. ‘I want to make it very clear that US sanctions in Syria will not stand in the way of efforts to save the lives of the Syrian people,’ Adeyou stated.
Adeyou further stated, ‘While US sanctions programs already contain strong waivers for humanitarian efforts, the Treasury Department is issuing a blanket general authorization for earthquake relief efforts to allow those providing assistance to concentrate more on what is necessary to save lives and rebuild. This will ensure that they can focus more on what is needed to save lives and rebuild, rather than worrying about sanctions,’ he said.
“The GL 23 license provides the broad authorization needed to support immediate disaster relief efforts in Syria,” the statement stressed.
The license allows for the processing or transfer of funds from other countries to or from Syria, on behalf of persons, in support of transactions that have been authorized under this general license.
