When the powerful earthquakes hit on Monday 6 February, MSF teams working in northern Syria were already there. Our expert staff immediately began treating patients and delivering supplies. So far, we have cared for more than 13,200 people in hospitals and mobile clinics.

More than 50,300 people have died and many more have been injured, according to official estimates in both Syria and Turkey (Türkiye).

“Health facilities are impacted and overwhelmed, and the medical staff in northern Syria are working around the clock to respond to the huge numbers of wounded arriving at the facilities,” says Sebastien Gay, Head of MSF in Syria.

The situation

In the aftermath of the earthquakes, our teams are seeing immense medical needs. Multiple hospitals have been damaged or destroyed. The death toll is expected to rise in both Syria and Türkiye, as many people are still trapped under rubble. People in northwest Syria have lived through years of ongoing humanitarian crises related to the conflict. After the earthquakes many are now without shelter in freezing weather, with little access to water, electricity and proper sanitation. Survivors of the destruction, including children, have been left traumatised and in urgent need of mental health support.

What is MSF doing?

In Aleppo and Idlib governorates in north Syria, MSF-supported hospitals cared for more than 7,600 injured patients. Our teams have donated emergency trauma and surgery kits to 38 other hospitals and clinics in the region. We have distributed more than 30,000 relief items, including blankets, hygiene kits and food. Two MSF maternity centres have been evacuated due to the risk of collapse. Teams are working around the clock and remain in close contact with authorities in northwest Syria and southern Türkiye, ready to provide further support to people affected by the earthquake.

Why MSF?

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has helped people affected by earthquakes and natural disasters since our founding in 1971, putting highly skilled medical staff, logisticians, and water and sanitation experts into complex disaster zones. Over decades we have built up a network of robust supply lines and a large pool of experienced MSF staff that can be rapidly mobilised when a crisis hits. One-hundred percent of MSF UK’s funds are raised from the generosity of private donors, which gives MSF an unrivaled level of independence.