Syria: Two babies die from cold in IDP camp

Two babies have died from the cold in northwestern Syria, where snow and heavy rain have destroyed hundreds of displaced families, the United Nations said today.

The province of Idlib, the last major guerrilla and jihadist stronghold in the war-torn country, is home to about three million people, two-thirds of whom are displaced.

“A seven-day-old girl and a two-month-old girl have died from the cold in Idlib province,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told AFP.

According to a French Agency correspondent in the area, the babies died today and were taken to a hospital in the village of Haranbous, which has been receiving a number of sick children in recent days.

The situation is even more worrying for the displaced who need treatment as many hospitals in Idlib province are in danger of closing due to declining international aid and shortages of medicines and equipment.

Child deaths in Idlib camps are common during the winter.

“Children are exposed to the cold. They live in dilapidated tents. There is a shortage of winter clothing and fuel,” said OCHA spokesman Patrick Nicholson.

“The problem is exacerbated by the financial crisis, the lack of resources to provide winter assistance and the increased need,” Nicholson added.

According to the UN Office, adverse weather conditions in January destroyed at least 935 tents and caused severe damage to more than 9,000 others in IDP camps in northern Syria.

Improvised heating systems also regularly cause deadly fires.

Since the beginning of the year, 68 fires have been reported, resulting in 24 injured and two dead in northern Syria alone, according to OCHA.

Source: AMPE