Death Toll of the Snowstorm Rises to 27

Three Syrian infants died of cold on Sunday, raising to 27 the death toll as a result of the snowstorm hitting the region, amid severe shortage of heating fuel, food, medicine especially in the areas besieged by regime forces. A child and an elderly man died in the neighborhood of Al Firdos in Aleppo, while two newly-born babies died southern Damascus and East Ghouta. Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, said that the Assad regime is to blame for the suffering of displaced Syrians inside Syria and in neighboring countries, as they have been forced to flee mass killings by barrel bombs and chemical weapons. “The plight of Syrian refugees continues amid severe shortage of essential materials needed to cope with extreme weather conditions,” Meslet said. He thanks brotherly and friendly countries, led by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and the United States, for responding to calls for help sent by interim Prime Minister Ahmed Tomeh. “The magnitude of the disaster requires that the rest of the world take immediate action to aid the Syrian people affected by the snowstorm hitting the region.” The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the deaths of 11 people, including 7 children due to severe cold over the past few days. (Source: Syrian Coalition)