Nearly 300,000 displaced by Syria quake - state media

Mourners sit in the back of a truck next to the dead body of a relative that was pulled out from under the rubble, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in rebel-held town of Jandaris, Syria February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ameer Hurputlu

More than 298,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to this week's deadly earthquake, Syrian state media reported, in an apparent reference to the parts of Syria under government control, not those held by other factions.

State news agency SANA quoted Hussein Makhlouf, minister of local administration and environment, as saying the state had also opened 180 shelters for displaced people.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari; Editing by Andrew Heavens)