The Afrin and Shehba Cantons Council held a press conference at its headquarters in the Serdem Camp in the village of Til Sosin to reveal the balance sheet of damage caused by the earthquake.

Melek Hisên, co-chair of the Shehba and Afrin Canton Council, said: “First of all we want to express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives after the devastating earthquake that occurred in the region three weeks ago, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

The earthquake aggravated the suffering of Afrin and Shehba refugees who were forcibly displaced by the invading Turkish state and its mercenaries. In addition, the embargo imposed on Shehba by the Damascus government increased this suffering.”

The statement added: “The earthquake caused extensive damage to homes and schools. The Afrin and Shehba Cantons administration contacted the people through all our institutions, starting from the communes, councils, municipalities and the Social Affairs Committee, and kept people away from dangerous areas. Ten people were injured, two seriously, as a result of the earthquake.

A Professional Committee was established to detect damaged houses. The professional committee asked the engineers from Aleppo for help with the inspection of the schools. It was determined that nearly a thousand houses and three schools were severely damaged. As a result, thousands of students were forced to suspend education.”

The canton administration called “on all citizens and components in Aleppo to go to Shehba. Around 20,000 people came to Shehba and were welcomed by the refugees who helped them despite their limited resources.

The massive migration to Shehba due to the earthquake, prompted the administration to set up 53 tents for students as an emergency measure. The administration also distributed 400 tents to Afrin and Shehba residents. It distributed 25 litres of diesel fuel to 25,000 families in Shehba Canton.

The administration distributed 350 tents in Serdem Camp, 50 tents in Veger Camp in Shêrawa, and 20 tents in Berxwedan Camp to citizens from Shehba, Shêrawa, Eşrefiye and Şêxmeqsûd that had their houses damaged in the earthquake.