Adelheid Marschang, World Health Organization (WHO) senior emergency officer, has said about 23 million people were likely to be exposed in Syria and Turkey following the earthquake and its aftershocks that reduced thousands of buildings to rubble.

The WHO official yesterday warned about the situation in Syria, which is already facing a multi-year humanitarian crisis due to war and a cholera outbreak.

In this regard, Marschang denounced U.S. politicization in delivering humanitarian aid to the country following Monday's devastating earthquake in Turkiye and Syria and its strong aftershocks.

teleSur reported yesterday that the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad denounced the day before the negative impact of Western unilateral sanctions, especially from the U.S., which hinder the Syrian people's access to medicines, food and oil, among others.

According to the United Nations (UN), some 14.6 million Syrians were dependent on humanitarian aid as of May last year.

The WHO's senior emergency official said some 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, are likely to be exposed in Syria and Turkiye following the recent catastrophe.