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International assistance is requested for Syria's White Helmets rescuers


In a "race against time," the White Helmets, who are leading efforts to rescue those trapped under debris in rebel-held areas of earthquake-devastated Syria, made an appeal on Wednesday.

When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkiye early on Monday, first responders from the organisation that was established ten years ago to rescue the lives of civilians during Syria's civil conflict sprung into action.

Since then, they have been working to extricate survivors from beneath the rubble of dozens of destroyed buildings in northwest Syria that are still under the control of the rebels.

A video showing the White Helmets rescuing a young girl and her entire family from a fallen building in the province of Idlib was widely circulated on social media.

Mohammed Shibli, a spokesman for the organisation formally known as the Syria Civil Defense, declared that "international rescue teams must enter our territory."

In a neighbouring country called Turkiye, he told AFP, "People are dying every second; we are in a race against time."

More than 9,500 people were killed, many more were injured, and many more were left without shelter from the bitterly cold on Monday's earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

According to the government and the White Helmets, at least 2,597 individuals have died in Syria alone.

The group's response to the massive disaster in the northwest, which is controlled by rebels and is home to more than four million people, was "impossible," according to Shibli.

Even states can't accomplish that, he added, noting that the volunteers for the organisation haven't had the time to visit all the disaster-affected areas.

Britain revealed on Wednesday that it would provide the rescue organisation with an additional 800,000 pounds ($968,000).

The White Helmets, which work in shattered opposition-held areas, first appeared in 2013, as Syria's civil conflict was approaching its third year.

They have received plaudits from all around the world for their work; a Netflix documentary called "The White Helmets" won an Academy Award in 2017, and another movie about them, "Last Men in Aleppo," was nominated for an Oscar in 2018.

There are 3,300 young men and women among their volunteers, and 1600 of them are committed to search and rescue efforts.

Shibli added, "After 56 hours of nonstop work, hundreds of families are still missing or buried under the rubble."

In the bitter weather, "people's odds of survival are falling," he claimed.

Shibli questioned, "But when will we acquire them? The rescue team requires heavy machinery, spare parts for the ones they already have, and equipment.

According to AFP correspondents in the war-torn nation, civilians and rescue personnel have been forced to dig through the debris using only their bare hands.

Fatima Obeid, a White Helmets volunteer, told AFP that despite being exhausted, teams remained hard at work.

“Being able to pull survivors brings them indescribable joy and excitement,” she said from Sarmada in Idlib 

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