UN wants $397 million for Syrian quake survivors

Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday asked for $397 million in aid for nearly 5 million earthquake survivors in rebel-held northwest Syria. On Monday, the UN and Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed to open two new crossing points from Turkey for an initial period of three months. War in the region has created deep divisions and the UN was previously only able to deliver aid through a single crossing, called Bab Al-Hawa.

How goes the rescue work? In Turkey, rescue teams have been using sniffer dogs and thermal cameras to search for survivors, like a 13-year-old boy who was pulled from the rubble Monday. But after a week, experts say the window for saving any more people has nearly closed. Turkish authorities say more than 150,000 survivors have been moved to shelters in safe provinces.

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger and Onize Ohikere’s report in WORLD Magazine about regional aid.