Syria's Deadly Earthquake Affects at Least 57,000 Palestinian Refugees - UN Relief Agency

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has requested $2.7 million in humanitarian aid to support some 57,000 Palestinian refugees affected by the devastating earthquake in Syria, UNRWA Department of External Relations and Communications Director Tamara Alrifai said on Tuesday.

"As an immediate ask: UNRWA requires US$ 2.7 million to support some 57,000 Palestine refugees affected by the earthquake in Syria, and in areas accessible from Damascus," Alrifai said in a statement on the website.

She said that some 438,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 camps across Syria not accessible from Damascus, and about 62,000 refugees live in and around four camps in northern Syria, adding that 90% of them are in need of aid due to the earthquake.

On Monday, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake with several powerful aftershocks, followed by another earthquake, rattled parts of Turkey and Syria, toppling thousands of homes and killing over 6,000 in both countries.

According to Palestine's foreign ministry, 62 Palestinians have died as a result of the earthquake.