Turkish relief foundation sends 29 ambulances to Syria

HATAY, Turkey

Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) sent 29 ambulances to aid civil war-torn Syria on Thursday.

The foundation’s Hasan Iri told Anadolu Agency that Syria needs ambulances to help treat the injured amid a wave of devastating and deadly attacks.

Iri said the ambulances, donated by European countries to the IHH, are going to Syrian cities, rural Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs.

"More than 400,000 civilians have died in the attacks in Syria, and hundreds of thousands have been injured. As long as the attacks are against civilians, more people die and more medical needs are seen," he said.

Iri added that hospitals have been major targets in these attacks.

"People usually die on the way [to medical care] as there are no ambulances. The IHH is trying to fill this gap. The ambulances donated by Europe are being sent to Syria via the IHH," he said.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research, a Beirut-based NGO, has put the total death toll from the five-year conflict at more than 470,000.