Baghdad The Syrian Minister of Health, Hassan Al-Ghobash, announced that the death toll from the earthquake that struck northern Syria has reached 1,347 dead and 2,295 injured.

Al-Ghobash said during a press conference, today, Thursday: “After days passed, we can expect the chances of finding survivors to be unfortunately diminished, indicating that hospitals and health centers are working to their fullest capacity, but the lack of equipment has affected a lot, and there is heroic volunteer work that helps in removing rubble and saving lives.”

The Syrian Minister continued, “The most important challenges are continuing to provide medical services and preparing for any emergency, and there must be one international decision to lift the sanctions, and here we do not beg, this is our right.”

“I am not speaking from a political standpoint, but rather from a medical and humanitarian standpoint. The suffering of the Syrian people is not from the earthquake, but rather from the western earthquake that struck Syria 11 years ago and hinders it from repairing itself, and Western sanctions do not give weight to citizens, even if they are threatened by natural disasters,” he said.

He continued, “We call on the member states of the United Nations, the General Secretariat, the Red Cross and others to help to confront the disaster, indicating that the flow of aid continues to Syria and we hope that the quality aid we need will arrive.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency