‘I am lucky’: Syrian earthquake survivor tells of dire straits in Aleppo

Syrian soldiers use heavy machinery to sift through the rubble of a collapsed building in Aleppo. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Wisam Afisa, 37, a British-Syrian dual citizen, has been walking through the streets of Aleppo in pyjamas, boots and a parka since Monday. “I am lucky to have these. The situation is catastrophic here. You can’t imagine the destruction,” he said.

“I have seen eight people being pulled dead from the rubble, and none being pulled out alive. Others I heard shouting for help. Locals are digging, civilians are using their trucks, we have no bulldozers, little fuel. My priest from my Orthodox church and a family friend are still under rubble.”