Lebanon’s assistance for quake-hit Syria of great help: Syrian PM

Damascus: Syria’s Prime Minister Hussein Arnous has said the support and assistance offered by Lebanon have greatly alleviated the consequences of the disastrous earthquake in his country.

In a letter sent to his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati, Arnous on Thursday added that “in the name of the Syrian government and my name, I convey sincere thanks and appreciation for the support and assistance of sisterly Lebanon, which greatly help alleviate the consequences of this catastrophic earthquake that struck several governorates in Syria, resulting in tragedies and destruction”.

Lebanon sent to Syria a delegation of the Lebanese Red Cross, Beirut Fire Brigade, Civil Defence, Disaster Management units, and the Lebanese Army in cooperation with some private sector companies to save people from under the rubble following the devastating earthquake, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Syrian Health Ministry announced that the final death toll from the earthquake in Syria stood at 1,414, and the number of injured reached 2,357. Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights showed that the quake killed about 7,000 people in Syria’s government-controlled and rebel-held areas.