Rescue workers and people search for the victims after the devastating quake in Aleppo city on Feb 7, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that they are digging through the rubble to find victims with bare hands or with rudimentary tools. Heavy equipment necessary for rescue work is banned under US sanctions. The sanctions also prevent the Syrian people from accessing medicine and medical equipment needed to prevent the risk of epidemic during the disaster, said the Syrian Foreign Minister.

At a press conference Tuesday in Damascus, Syrian Arab Red Crescent head Khaled Hboubati called on the US to lift its sanctions on Syria in light of the massive destruction caused by the earthquake.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to put pressure on the US to lift sanctions on Syria, paving the way for humanitarian relief to be delivered to all regions in the country.