A magnitude 7.8 earthquake followed by multiple strong aftershocks struck Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday, February 6. Less than 12 hours later, a second 7.6 magnitude quake hit the same region, killing over 15,000 people and leaving thousands more injured. The death toll continues to increase by the minute. Hundreds remain trapped under buildings reduced to piles of rubble, with many calling for help from under the debris. 

The quakes have devastated the impacted areas; however, for civilians in northwest Syria, it has doubled an already existing humanitarian crisis. Over 4 million civilians, 2.8 million of whom are internally displaced, live in the region’s opposition-held areas surrounded by the Assad regime and its ally Russia. Over 90% of the population depends on the U.N. cross-border mechanism for live-saving aid; however, the earthquake has severely damaged the only remaining aid route, the Bab al-Hawa crossing.

The U.N. cross-border aid mechanism was established in 2014 to offer a lifeline to millions of civilians in areas where the Syrian regime has purposely failed to provide humanitarian aid. It is an essential lifeline that ensures aid goes directly to the people without going through the Assad regime. 

On Tuesday, the Spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General said in a press briefing that “the road that is leading to the crossing has been damaged, and that’s temporarily disrupted our ability to fully use it.”

On January 11, the U.N. Security Council voted to extend cross-border aid operations for an additional six months, saying “humanitarian needs have reached the highest levels since the start of the conflict in 2011, with people in Syria grappling with a harsh winter and a cholera outbreak.” Russia vetoed a proposal that would have extended cross-border aid to Syria by one year. In the past, Russia, a vital ally of the Assad regime, has used its veto powers multiple times to reduce the number of cross-border aid routes from four to only one. 

Now, with Bab al-Hawa damaged, no other authorized roads remain to assist with humanitarian aid deliveries for civilians struggling under harsh winter temperatures on top of the devastating impact of the earthquake.

Syrians are waiting for the U.N. to act! 

The United Nations and the international community must act urgently and swiftly to take open alternative routes into northwest Syria. Millions of people, including those currently trapped under piles of rubble, simply cannot wait for the official Bab al-Hawa route to become operational. 

Other possible border crossings, such as Bab al-Salam, Jarablus, and Al-Rai, can be viable solutions to ensure that help is immediately extended to those most adversely affected by the earthquake. 

“Every half hour or so, we see cars carrying the bodies of Syrian people who died in the earthquake in Turkey crossing the border into Syria. So how can the roads be closed for aid but open for funeral convoys?” Mazen Alloush, head of Bab al-Hawa border’s media relations, told Al-Jazeera. 

“We know that the U.N. aid is stored in the Turkish city of Reyhanli, which is just one kilometer away from the border crossing,” he added.

The White Helmets, a group of volunteer first responders, have been working around the clock to search and rescue victims buried under rubble. However, they are operating with limited resources and have not received any significant international or non-international assistance. 

Six U.N. aid convoys that were scheduled to deliver aid prior to the earthquake entered northwest Syria from Turkey on Thursday morning. 

“​​It is not special aid and equipment for the search and rescue teams and the recovery of those trapped under the rubble. We are disappointed at a time when we are desperate for equipment that will help us save lives from under the rubble,” the White Helmets rescue team said on Twitter. 

This comes three days after the devastating earthquakes as the U.N. cited “logistical” reasons for halting aid delivery. However, trucks continued crossing the border with not with aid but bodies of Syrians killed by the earthquake in Turkey. 

“Those who died, we want them to come back. We want them to be buried among their family,” Ahmad al-Yousef, 37, who lives in a tent camp near the Syrian town of Sarmada on the border, told the NYT. 

Time is running out for millions of people who are stuck between the Assad regime, Russia, and a dysfunctional U.N. strategy for aid delivery.