Syrians who are suffering through years of war, displacement, and brutal weather are now facing a devastating earthquake that killed hundreds of people.
Millions of people in northwestern Syria have been left vulnerable by 12 years of conflict, according to the United Nations, which says 2.9 million people in the region are displaced and 1.8 million are living in camps.
A steady stream of wounded entered an overcrowded hospital in the rebel-held town of Darkush, in northwestern Syria, after Monday’s deadly earthquake struck. Mothers were hovering over crying children.
Amidst the commotion, one man sat with a depressed expression, his face covered in scratches.
The man, Osama Abdul Hamid, barely made it out alive with his wife and four children from his property in the nearby village of Azmarin. Many of their neighbors were not so lucky.
“There are four floors in the building, and from three of them, no one made it out,” said Abdul Hamid, breaking down in tears.
Much of Syria’s last rebel stronghold in northwest Syria has been destroyed by years of fighting.
Many of the displaced live in poor conditions in makeshift camps with poorly constructed concrete homes that collapse easily or are vulnerable to flashbacks.
The earthquake caused total or partial damage to buildings in at least 58 villages, towns and cities in northwestern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in the United Kingdom.
‘Beyond Our Ability’
Hospitals are overwhelmed. Syrian civil defense worker Ismail Abdullah told Al Jazeera that government forces’ bombing of health facilities over the years had killed many doctors and workers.
“Now, the medical department cannot deal with all the injuries. We need shelter for those who lost their homes. We need facilities for those who sleep outside, and even drinkable water. Those people who are under the rubble in northwest Syria must [rescue] device We don’t have enough to handle this disaster,” said Abdullah.
Majdi al-Ibrahim, a surgeon at the hospital in Darkush, said “urgent help” was urgently needed. “The threat is beyond our control,” he said.
