About 40,000 in dire need of basic services in Syrian town: aid agency

Around 40,000 people are in urgent need of basic services including water and electricity in the Syrian town of Moadamiyah, near the capital of Damascus, an international humanitarian agency said Thursday.

"The town has been cut off from the rest of the country for several months," said a press release issued here by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) managed to enter the town this week and deliver aid for the first time since December 2014."

"The humanitarian situation is desperate," said the head of the ICRC in Syria, Marianne Gasser. "The streets are totally empty, shops closed. There is virtually no water and food is hard to come by. There has not been electricity in the city for two years. There is virtually no access to proper health care."

The ICRC and SARC brought in medicines for chronic diseases to treat around 5,000 patients; medicines for children; and medical equipment to help pregnant women during delivery.

"But this is not enough. We need to come back soon with more aid for the civilians, whether it is food or basic medical materials," said Gasser.

The ICRC and SARC continue to work in different parts of Syria, crossing front lines, bringing in aid and providing support. During the past week, food was delivered to collective kitchens run by SARC, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other charities in and around Aleppo: the food is sufficient to feed more than 120,000 people.

In Hassakeh, which remains inaccessible by road, the ICRC and SARC delivered medical equipment which was air-lifted from Damascus to health facilities in the governorate, said the press release. Endite