Northern Syria snowstorm affects more than 150,000 displaced people

A snowstorm on Dec. 31 in northern Syria hit 90 sites for the displaced, affecting more than 150,000 people, destroying or damaging 5,000 shelters, UN humanitarians said Tuesday.



The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said its partners in the governorates of Aleppo, Idlib and Al-Hasakah reported the storm claimed the lives of two infants due to extreme cold.



Thousands of people were exposed to freezing temperatures at risk of hypothermia and respiratory diseases, OCHA said. Humanitarians have provided more than 10,000 displaced people in camps with stoves and fuel since the snowstorm.



The United Nations and its partners need 112 million U.S. dollars for life-saving winter assistance from September 2025 to March 2026, OCHA said. So far, only 29 million dollars has been received, leaving a 74 percent funding gap.