937 quake-aid trucks cross from Turkey to Syria: UN

UNITED NATIONS: The UN and partners continue to ramp up relief deliveries to earthquake-ravaged regions in Turkey and Syria.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 937 trucks carrying aid from seven UN agencies crossed into northwest Syria from Turkey since the devastating February 6 earthquakes that killed over 57,300 people in the two neighbouring nations, reports Xinhua news agency.

 Additionally, OCHA said that following the first interagency visit to Idlib on February 14, there have been 34 cross-border, fact-finding missions to northwest Syria.

The missions have interviewed people to assess their needs and coordinate the humanitarian response.

Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator, ended his second trip to earthquake-stricken Syria on Wednesday.

In Turkey, the UN and partners are reaching 1.25 million people daily with hot meals, OCHA said.

Nearly 623,000 people have received water, sanitation and hygiene support.

The humanitarian partners provided more than 46,000 tents and hundreds of thousands of tarps, blankets, bedsheets, mattresses, cooking equipment and hygiene kits, OCHA said, noting the $1 billion flash appeal for Turkey is less than 19 per cent funded.