In the opposition-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, the population was left completely devastated by the earthquake on February 6. Faced with a staggering death toll and a lack of resources, residents had to hastily dig mass graves for their loved ones. We spoke to several volunteers in the region who told us more about the heartbreaking task of digging these graves and their inability to provide proper funeral services for victims of the quake.
The earthquakes that shattered southern Turkey and northwest Syria have killed more than 41,000 people. In Syria, the quake mainly impacted the rebel-controlled northwest, which is already cut off from equipment and resources, and devastated by years of civil war. Residents and volunteers were forced to start digging mass graves to bury victims of the quake, as overwhelmed rescue workers and medical personnel struggled to keep up.
Yassin Mousab is an activist who visited several towns in the region.
When the families pull their loved ones from the rubble, they take them to the hospital to have them declared dead. Then they take them to be buried. The Syrian Civil Defence teams have been digging mass graves, with help from volunteers. The graves are long, so they can hold a large number of bodies, often from the same village. These people are buried together. They are buried in haste. The rescue workers are overwhelmed. They have to focus on saving the living.
>> Read more on The Observers: ‘It’s heartbreaking’: In Syria’s rebel zones, volunteers dig mass graves for quake victims
