The last week's earthquake claimed more than 41,000 lives in Turkey in Syria, and the hope of finding the survivors under the debris is fading away with each passing day. Due to the war, political and geopolitical circumstances, Syria is currently faced with a great catastrophe and is under threat of facing a greater one. The situation on the ground has been described by a Syrian in Sarajevo, Moussa Fattah, whose family still lives in Aleppo.

“Situation in Syria is not only catastrophic because of the earthquake, but has been like that for a while. There is much less of aid than Turkey, which is economically strong country, receives. There are four million Syrian refugees on the border with Turkey, who live in catastrophic conditions. They received no help for three to four days after the earthquake. They were rescuing people with their bare hands,”, Fattah, who has been living in Sarajevo since 1996, told N1.

According to him, the world treated the Syrian people very badly.

“We have 13 million refugees. People realised it is different now. They call me more often than they did in the war. What we are witnessing these days is a catastrophe,” stressed the Syrian, overwhelmed by the solidarity among the people.

“People are helping each other, regardless of their sides,” he added, showing a photo of a boy whose grandfather managed to deliver 76 trucks of aid to jeopardised areas.

The boy said, jokingly, that his father could easily be a UN secretary general, since the UN sent only 15 trucks of help to Syria.

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Fattah stressed that politics must now be put aside in order to help Syria. “There is lot of talk about the help in the world, but not so much action,” he added.

Speaking of life of his family in Aleppo, the Syrian said it all looks like as if war is starting all over again.

“Most of them are scared to go back to their homes, buildings have been damaged. We have some 5,000 dead there, and about 20 to 30 thousand were injured,” he stressed.

Asked about most needed items that the Syrians need at the moment, Fattah replied that everything is equally important – money, tents, medicines…

“Bosnians and Herzegovinians proved they have a big heart. I would like to tell everyone that the Syrians are good people. We accepted refugees from Greece 80 years ago, not caring who they are. People is good in all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, politicians must work on reconciliation, and then help us in Syria,” he concluded.