US urges Syria and all parties to allow earthquake aid immediate access

Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

The US on Sunday called on Syria and all parties to allow aid to reach people affected by last Monday's earthquake and aftershocks that have killed at least 33,000.

“All humanitarian assistance must be permitted to move through all border crossings, and distribution of aid must be permitted to all affected areas without delay,” the White House National Security Council representative said.

Washington called on Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to grant immediate access to humanitarian assistance to all those in need, without exception, and urged him to follow through on a blanket authorisation for humanitarian assistance deliveries.

A UN representative on Sunday said earthquake aid from government-held parts of Syria into opposition-controlled territory has been held up by “approval issues” with one hardline group. The issue poses an added challenge for aid workers trying to reach the northern regions affected by the earthquake.

Most of the 3,500 deaths reported so far in Syria have been in the north-west, in territory largely controlled by the extremist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. Many of the more than 4 million people living there have been displaced from their homes during more than 10 years of civil war.

The US on Sunday also called for the UN Security Council to “vote immediately” to authorise the delivery of aid to north-west Syria through more border crossings from Turkey.

Since 2014, the UN has been able to deliver aid to millions of people in need in the region through Turkey under a Security Council mandate. But it is currently restricted to using just one border crossing.

“Right now, every hour matters,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, told Reuters. “People in the affected areas are counting on us.”