Syria's Sarmada: 'We found all our relatives under the rubble'

Syrians in rebel-held northwest Syria, where at least 380 have been killed, have been speaking to MEE contributor Harun al-Aswad.

Abu Rawad lives in Idlib province after being displaced from southern Daraa province by the war.

“I live in a tent, so I was not affected by the earthquakes. I was sleeping and woke up when the ground was shaking under me. I fled with my wife and four children and dozens of displaced people towards the plains and lands surrounding the tents,” he told Middle East Eye.

“After a few hours, we came to the city of Sarmada and found all our relatives under the rubble. The Civil Defence is still trying to find them.

“One of my cousins was rescued with broken hands and feet as a result of the collapse of the apartment above him. His wife and children are still under the rubble. My other cousin, his wife and children are still under the rubble. We are impatiently waiting, hoping that God will save them all.”

Before the Syrian war, Sarmada was a modest village with a few thousand residents. Over the ten years of conflict, it has turned into the largest commercial centre of rebel-held Syria. Once-deserted streets now teem 24/7 with shoppers.

Close to the Turkish border, Sarmada has largely escaped bombing from pro-Syrian government forces. That has encouraged rapid urban development, and the construction of poor-quality buildings which have collapsed in the earthquake.

"The destruction in Sarmada is huge. One of my friends and his family is trapped under the rubble,” Abu al-Laith al-Homsi, a displaced person from the city of Homs, told MEE.

"As soon as the earthquake happened, I pulled my children and fled with my wife to the street in the city of Atarib west of Alleppo province, near Sarmada. We were not affected a lot there, but many of my neighbours were and the Civil Defence is trying to help them."