Earthquake death toll in Syria likely to rise, says UN humanitarian chief

The UN has reported a death toll of about 6,000 for all of Syria, including 4,400 in the rebel-held northwest.

A man walks past collapsed buildings following a devastating earthquake in the town of Jinderis, Aleppo province, Syria (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

The United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria has said that the country’s death toll from last week’s deadly earthquake is likely to rise further as teams scramble to remove rubble in hard-hit areas.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Muhannad Hadi defended the UN’s response to the disaster, which many in Syria have criticised as slow and inadequate.