The head of State, along with his wife, Asma al-Assad, visited the teaching hospital where most of the injured are being treated and spoke with the families of the victims and the medical staff.

President Al-Assad was informed about rescue efforts in the al-Mashareqa neighborhood in Aleppo, where national and foreign teams are working to remove building rubble and dead bodies as well as to rescue survivors.

He told reporters that the State would provide all available capacities to rebuild what was destroyed by the earthquake and help those affected.

On Friday, the Syrian Government declared the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Idlib, and Hama disaster areas.

Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash confirmed that the death toll from the devastating earthquakes climbed to 1,347 lives, with more than 2,295 injured people.

These figures should increase as the search and rescue teams reach sites of difficult access.

In response to the Syrian Government’s call, more than 40 planes laden with humanitarian aid and rescuers have arrived here from 13 countries.

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