Syria opens 275 shelters to host earthquake victims: ministry

DAMASCUS, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 275 shelters have been opened across Syria, hosting victims of the earthquake that hit the country on Feb. 6, the ministry of local administration and environment said Sunday.

In a short statement, the ministry said 235 shelters were opened in the northern Aleppo province, 32 in the northwestern province of Latakia, five in Hama province, and two in Tartous province.

The statement spelled no details about the situation in the rebel-held areas in Idlib province and the northern countryside of Aleppo.

According to the Syrian Health ministry, the death toll has risen to 1,414 and the wounded to 2,349 as of Sunday evening. The UN said on Friday that the earthquake in Syria had displaced 5.3 million people.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the death toll could be more than 5,300 in Syria, and the number could rise to as many as 7,000 as many people are still buried under the rubble.