Volunteers in Syria “pulled people out of the rubble with their bare hands” due to the lack of humanitarian assistance after the devastating earthquake, which caused anger and frustration in the country.
The White Helmets’ civil defense agency in Syria said the group was “disappointed with the reaction of the international community,” Ubada Alwan, the group’s media coordinator, said.
Aid workers consider the first 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical, but it took six United Nations trucks four days to reach northwest Syria after Monday’s catastrophic earthquakes killed thousands of Syrians.
When the trucks arrived, the group said the aid was part of a regular, planned UN relief effort and not a specific response to the earthquake. The UN convoy delivered medicines, blankets, tents and shelter kits, all welcome but non-existent given the need.
“Because of the delay in the delivery of aid, the number of people we were able to save is not enough,” Mr. Alvan said. I. “Hundreds, maybe thousands of people are still under the rubble. This is the critical point for salvation. We don’t know how long they can keep it up. Especially when the temperature is below zero.”
“There has been talk about why aid hasn’t arrived – whether it be for political reasons or because of war zones – but I think the scale of this catastrophe justifies international humanitarian aid. Humanity is more important than politics,” he said.
The White Helmets, also known as the Syrian Civil Defense, have been working around the clock since Monday to get people out of the rubble.
“The situation on the ground is very grim,” Alvan said. “This is a disaster. We were hoping for better and more supplies from the international community. We don’t just want it, we need it. Without them, we can’t save enough lives.”
He said volunteers worked with the group to “dig people out of the rubble with their bare hands.”
“But even if we dig people up, the question is, where do we take them? Hospitals are overcrowded. We are unable to cope with such a scale of disasters without international support,” he added.
“Supplies are in short supply everywhere – lack of medical supplies, lack of search and rescue equipment, lack of fuel for equipment and vehicles, lack of intact tools,” explains Alvan.
Until help arrives, the White Helmets will continue to do whatever it takes to rescue the people who are still trapped and desperate to survive under the rubble.
“We are doing our best,” Mr. Alvan said. “We work around the clock.”
Source: I News
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