Syria: President of the International Committee of the Red Cross visits Aleppo in earthquake aftermath

Aleppo (ICRC)— International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president Mirjana Spoljaric visited Aleppo today, five days after a deadly earthquake hit southern Türkiye and northwest Syria.

President Spoljaric said - ‘It is very difficult to describe the layers of suffering and destruction that I'm witnessing here in Aleppo. And it's very cold, and there is no heating. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost their loved ones, parents who have lost their children and children who have lost their parents. The suffering particularly of the children and of the elderly people, is difficult to see. The ICRC will do anything it can to support them. We are working closely with our partners from the Red Crescent and Red Cross. And I salute them for having been there working with us tirelessly since Monday. But what is most important now is that we gain access to all parts of northern Syria to help people who need our urgent support. Impartial humanitarian assistance should never be hindered, nor politicized. We have to get access. We have to be able to reach the affected population.’

President Spoljaric's visit to Syria to draw attention to the needs and plight of people was scheduled prior to the earthquake. Her visit to Aleppo is part of a six-day visit to the country with ICRC teams. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is on the ground in both Türkiye and Syria responding to emergency needs of earthquake victims.

For further information, please contact:

Adnan Hizam (Damascus): ahizam@icrc.org,+9631133806205

Imene Trabelsi (Beirut): itrabelsi@icrc.org, +961 3 13 83 53

Fatima Sator (Geneva):  fsator@icrc.org, +41 79 848 49 08

Jessica Moussan (Dubai): jmoussan@icrc.org, +971 50 425 4091

Log-list

Location: Syria

Length: 01:53 Mins

Sound: English

Producer:

Date: 10\02\2023

Copyright: ICRC access all

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