The decision was taken during an emergency Cabinet meeting held after the visit of Prime Minister Hussein Arnous and several ministers to the areas devastated by the quake.

Health Minister Hassan Al-Ghobash confirmed that the number of deaths and injuries rose to 1,347 and 2,295, respectively..

The rescue teams also reported more than 1,400 deaths and 3,500 injuries in regions beyond government control, in rural areas of the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, bordering Türkiye.

The scale of the disaster is large and medical equipment, medicines and all type of supplies are needed to save the lives and alleviate the suffering of those affected by this disaster, the Minister of Health said.

He made it clear that the suffering of Syrian medical personnel is not a result of the earthquake but rather of the Western sanctions that have remained in force during 12 years.

In turn, the Minister of Municipal Administration and head of the Relief Committee, Hussein Makhlouf, revealed that 294,000 persons were left homeless and are now in more than twenty reception centers established in schools, mosques, churches and sport halls.

Over 40 planes loaded with humanitarian aid arrived in Syria from 13 countries at the call of the Syrian government.

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