First UN-aided convoy arrives in Turkey and Syria

He first convoy of help from the United Nations since a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on Monday it has crossed northwest of Syria from Turkeyhas confirmed the UN.

Six trucks arrived on Thursday at Bab al-Hawa, the only border crossing authorized by the UN Security Council for the delivery of aid, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

help is coming

The flow of humanitarian aid has been temporarily disrupted since the first quake hit before dawn Monday due to logistical problems and damage to the road connecting Gaziantep to the UN transshipment center in Hatay.

OCHA said on Wednesday that it had identified two alternative routes to reach the center from Gaziantep, via Kilis-Kirikhan and from Mersin via Adana-Kirikhan.

Assaad Al-Achi, head of the Baytna Syria civil society organization, told Al Jazeera that the Turkish government has authorized the aid to go through two additional crossings, Bab Al-Salama and Al-Rai.

However, OCHA officials said that Bab Al-Hawa remained the only viable route for UN aid.

In 2022, some 600 truckloads of aid crossed from Turkey each month, reaching an average of 2.6 million Syrians.

Humanitarian needs have increased following the earthquake, which has killed at least 1,730 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings in the opposition-held area, according to rescuers.

The lack of heavy machinery to remove the rubble has considerably complicated the rescue efforts, in addition to power outages due to fuel shortages and terrible winter weather conditions.

Some 4.1 million people in northwestern Syria needed assistance before the earthquake. The volunteer added that survivors were camping on the streets in sub-zero temperatures without critical assistance.

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