Syria earthquake: Aleppo hospitals overwhelmed by victims

Hospitals successful Aleppo bash not person capable country for caller patients successful the aftermath of past week's devastating earthquake, a doc successful the Syrian metropolis has told the BBC.

At the Al-Razi Hospital determination are excessively galore beds to acceptable into the wards. They scope end-to-end done corridors and into the chilly courtyard.

"We weren't capable to discharge patients from the hospitals adjacent aft treating them. The metropolis is damaged and determination are nary places for them to go," said Dr Nizar Suleiman, the caput of orthopaedics.

"Huge numbers of patients came successful a abbreviated play of time. We person a immense shortage successful medicines, truthful it's truly worrying.

"For example, we endure from a deficiency of aesculapian instrumentality to dainty fractures. We already endure from this shortage due to the fact that of the crisis, and the siege [sanctions] marque it worse."

More than 4,400 deaths and 7,600 injuries person been reported successful north-western Syria since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck neighbouring confederate Turkey connected 6 February, according to the UN.

The harm to Aleppo is widespread. The BBC was fixed a uncommon accidental by the Syrian authorities to sojourn determination and talk to aesculapian workers.

While walking done the metropolis the BBC squad tried to enactment quiet, successful lawsuit we could perceive survivors successful the breached buildings.

Over a week aft the earthquake the accidental of uncovering anyone live successful the rubble is slim. But patients support arriving astatine Al-Razi Hospital.

Abu Muhammad, who spent astir 24 hours trapped nether the rubble, lies among different survivors connected a ward. He mislaid his woman and 3 of his 5 children successful the earthquake. He looks astatine a colourful photograph connected his telephone showing his household successful happier times.

"They went to Heaven, they are present with God," helium says, tearfully.

He is thankful for 1 thing: "God saved my mobile telephone for the involvement of remembering them, truthful astatine slightest I tin look astatine their pictures each clip I miss them."

"I inactive can't judge what happened to me. Sometimes I consciousness similar it's a nightmare, a atrocious dream. It can't beryllium reality."

Tens of thousands of radical are present surviving successful churches, mosques oregon successful nationalist spaces and parks aft losing their homes.

They told america that during the country's civilian war, which has been going connected for much than a decade, they had astir expected to suffer loved ones oregon property.

But the earthquake was truthful unexpected. It struck portion they slept, bringing a caller question of suffering that they felt was someway adjacent harder to bear.

The authorities says its assistance effort has been hampered by the economical sanctions that Western powers imposed successful effect to alleged quality rights violations and different abuses committed during the country's 12-year civilian war.

The US, UK and EU contradict this, saying commercialized successful indispensable goods and humanitarian assistance are exempt from the sanctions.

However, adjacent though exports of aesculapian supplies to Syria are not specifically sanctioned, planetary and determination banks fearful of being punished by Western authorities person successful the past been reluctant to o.k. the fiscal transactions needed by Syrians to acquisition them.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad called for the lifting of each "unilateral coercive measures" during a gathering with the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, Syrian authorities quality bureau Sana reported.

The government's cardinal allies successful the civilian warfare - Russia, Iran and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant radical Hezbollah - person committed assistance to government-controlled areas of Syria.

Aid donated by a fig of different countries, including China, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, has besides arrived, according to Syrian authorities media.

The BBC saw Russian assistance delivered via lorries to a hub astatine a religion successful Aleppo.

And Iran's semi-official Fars quality bureau reported that a sixth shipment of Iranian assistance had arrived.

Neighbouring Lebanon meantime confirmed that it would unfastened its ports and airports for countries wanting to nonstop assistance to Syria.

In contrast, opposition-held areas of north-west Syria person lone seen a trickle of assistance delivered by the UN via Turkey.

Mr Mekdad said the Syrian authorities was committed to "delivering humanitarian assistance to each those successful need, successful each areas, without immoderate discrimination".

But groups successful the absorption enclave are not presently accepting assistance from the government, fearing a propaganda triumph for Damascus.