First UN aid convoy enters quake-hit Syria via new crossing

The archetypal UN assistance convoy has entered done a reopened borderline crossing into rebel-held north-western Syria, devastated by past week's earthquake.

The UN said 11 lorries crossed from Turkey astatine Bab al-Salameh connected Tuesday.

Many Syrians are aggravated implicit the deficiency of assistance for the war-torn federation particularly to rebel areas, aft past week's quakes successful which much than 41,000 are known to person died successful Turkey and Syria.

The UN and Syria's authorities connected Monday agreed to usage 2 much crossings.

The different 1 is astatine al-Rai, besides connected the Turkish border. The UN said the crossings would initially beryllium unfastened for 3 months.

Two almighty earthquakes struck the south-eastern regions of neighbouring Turkey connected 6 February aboriginal successful the morning, erstwhile galore radical were asleep.

Hopes of uncovering immoderate much survivors are fading.

Countries with affable relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, began flying supplies to government-controlled areas of Syria soon aft the tremor.

But the opposition-controlled north-west - wherever immoderate 4.1 cardinal radical were relying connected humanitarian assistance to past adjacent earlier the catastrophe - received nary assistance deliveries from the UN via Turkey until Thursday.

The UN blamed harm to roads starring to the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which until present was the the lone onshore way the UN Security Council has authorised it to use.

On Tuesday, the Syrian ambassador to the UN, Bassam al-Sabbagh, told the BBC's Radio 4's World Tonight programme that determination would beryllium be nary favoritism implicit who was getting alleviation aid.

And helium blamed the hold successful opening much assistance routes connected what helium called the "terrorist opposition" which controls the north-west.

In a abstracted development, connected Monday nighttime gunmen stormed a Syrian infirmary caring for a babe miss who was calved nether the rubble of her family's earthquake-shattered home, a infirmary authoritative was quoted arsenic saying by the Associated Press quality agency.

The authoritative said the attackers bushed the facility's manager - but denied reports connected societal media that they had sought to kidnap the babe named Aya.

Thousands of radical person offered to follow Aya - whose sanction means occurrence successful Arabic - who was calved nether the rubble of a collapsed gathering successful the north-western municipality of Jindayris. When she was rescued, she was inactive connected to her parent by her umbilical cord.

Her mother, begetter and each 4 of her siblings died successful the quake.