Earthquake in Syria: “Mutiny began in prison, ISIS members escaped”

After the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes in Maras, the number of dead in neighboring Syria, where search and rescue efforts continue, according to announcements increased to 1,712. At least 812 people were killed and 1449 injured in government-controlled Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartus, the Syrian state agency SANA said.

“A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DEAD IS EXPECTED”

The White Helmets announced that 900 people were killed and 2,300 injured in the areas under the control of armed groups. In the statement made by the White Helmets, it was stated that a “dramatic increase” is expected in the death toll.

PRISON MUTINY: AT LEAST 20 ISIS MEMBERS MAY HAVE ESCAPED

On the other hand, a riot allegedly broke out in a prison in northern Syria after the earthquake and at least 20 ISIS members escaped. It is stated that 2,000 prisoners are held in the prison located in the Rajo town of Afrin, which is controlled by armed groups supported by Turkey, and approximately 1,300 of them are ISIS members.

"In Rajo, which was affected by the earthquake, prisoners started to rebel and took control of parts of the prison. About 20 prisoners, believed to be ISIS militants, escaped," the prison official told Agence-France Presse. An unnamed source said that after the earthquake, dozens of aftershocks occurred in the region and the prison was damaged. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on the other hand, confirmed that there had been a riot in the prison, but no information was shared about the escape of the prisoners.

According to United Nations data, as infrastructures are damaged due to the earthquake in Syria, where 4.1 million people currently depend on humanitarian aid, there are concerns that the number of displaced people will increase.

* This article was originally published by Duvar in Turkish here.