International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva called on the world community to assist Syria as quickly as possible in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
"This country has suffered for so long and so much. Now is the moment for all of us to support the devastated people and to help those in need as quickly as possible. The international community has a responsibility to act [in this situation] as one," Georgieva said, speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
Asked by a journalist about the need to ease sanctions that prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Syria, the IMF chief said that "people cannot wait for days when they have no shelter, no food and no water."
According to the latest figures from the Syrian health ministry, the death toll from the February 6 earthquake in government-controlled territory has risen to 1,414. It said another 2,349 victims were taken to hospitals with injuries and wounds. Regional Emergency Director for WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Rick Brennan said on Sunday that around 4,000 people had been killed in Syrian-controlled territory and 2,500 more had been injured and wounded. According to his information, in the north-west of Syria, in areas under the control of militants there were 4.5 thousand people killed, and the number of injured reached 7.5 thousand.
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Based on materials from TASS