The international aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders, announced the death of one staff member and the injuries of three other members in Syria, according to a statement Tuesday.
The events took place at the Al-Hol camp for displaced people and occurred over two separate incidents on February 24 and February 27, according to the statement.
We are shocked and saddened by the killing of one staff member and the injury of three others in Al-Hol camp for displaced people in northeast #Syria.
The two separate and tragic incidents demonstrate the human toll of the violence and unsafe living conditions in the camp.
— MSF International (@MSF) March 2, 2021
Will Turner, MSF emergency manager for Syria, said that on February 24th a staff member was killed inside the tent they were living in. (RELATED: Pentagon Says Biden’s Syria Strike Killed One Militant And Injured Two Others)
“Our colleague was off-duty with their family when they were killed. We are trying to better understand the situation and circumstances around their death. MSF is providing support to the family during this difficult time, and we offer our sincerest condolences to our colleague’s family and friends,” he said.
A four-year-old child of a staff member died, and three others were injured after a fire occurred during a wedding at the Al-Hol camp on February 27.
Seven others were killed in the fire, and nearly 30 people were injured, according to the statement.
In January, the New Humanitarian reported that Al-Hol is the largest refugee camp in the region and houses nearly 70,000 Syrians and foreigners.
Executive Director of UNICEF Henrietta H. Fore tweeted in response to the news that the camps “are no place for children. A longer-term solution is well over-due.”
Devastating news. I am deeply saddened by reports that at least three children have died in a fire at Al-Hol camp, Syria. My thoughts go out to the families affected.
These dangerous camps are no place for children. A longer-term solution is well overdue. https://t.co/B4zv6XtK7J
— Henrietta H. Fore (@unicefchief) February 28, 2021