On Friday, paramedics working in areas outside the control of the Syrian regime appealed to the international community to save serious cases among the survivors of the February 6 earthquake, following the death of a child as a result of “crushing limbs” syndrome.
Three-year-old Alp Arslan Berri died Thursday night in a hospital in Idlib, northwestern Syria, knowing that he is the only survivor among his family members, according to what his uncle, Izzat Hamidi, told AFP.
The child was suffering from “crushing limbs” syndrome, of which doctors working in northwestern Syria say that they have received many cases of it, including many children, following the earthquake that killed more than 46,000 people in Turkey and Syria, including 3,688 in Syria.
The syndrome results from pressure on the extremities for a period of more than 12 hours, which leads to interruption of blood circulation at the tissue level, and exposes the patient to amputation, kidney failure, and heart problems.
Raed al-Saleh, director of the White Helmets, which serves as the civil defense in the areas controlled by the opposition and jihadist factions in Idlib and its environs, said: “The world must stand with children and all those affected by mashing syndrome, and there should be action by the International Committee of the Red Cross and an urgent response to these cases.”
He added that “hundreds of people affected by the earthquake suffer from this condition and are in need of advanced medical care. The medical sector is greatly exhausted and depleted” in the region.
The child, Alp Arslan, was miraculously pulled out alive after 40 hours under the rubble. He was found in the bosom of his father, who protected him with his body, but he died like his mother and two brothers.
“We tried a lot to save him with all the doctors, but he fell into multiple organ failure and sepsis. We made every effort, but the injury was fatal,” said Dr. Moheeb Kaddour at Aqrabat Hospital in Idlib.
On Thursday evening, the local authorities in northern Syria transferred the nine-year-old girl, Sham al-Sheikh Muhammad, and her brother Omar (15) to Turkey for treatment for their “crushing limbs” syndrome. They are the first two victims of the earthquake to be transferred from areas outside the control of Damascus to receive treatment outside the country.
A video clip documenting the rescue of Sham was published on social media, in which she appeared lying under the rubble, talking to the rescue personnel, asking for a bottle of water and suggesting to them how it could be pulled, or singing a song bearing her name with them.
