“Miracles Under the Ground: How an Underground Hospital in Syria is Becoming a Beacon of Hope for Quake Victims”

The civil war in Syria has left a trail of destruction in its wake. For many years, Dr. Nehad Abdulmajeed, a surgeon in Syria, has seen the worst of human suffering in his career. But, even after surviving the siege of Aleppo in 2016, he was not prepared for the horror he encountered this week at the underground hospital in Al Atarib.

The hospital, known as the Cave, was built to protect it from relentless Russian and Syrian bombardments. But, this week, it was filled with victims of the earthquake that struck nearby across the border with Turkey. Many of the casualties that arrived at the hospital were already dead. The staff has counted 148 bodies since Monday.

The earthquake has presented a fresh humanitarian crisis for Syria, with rescue efforts obstructed by the location of the quake zone, which includes government- and opposition-controlled lands in Syria. This has led to a desperate scramble to save people trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings, with people digging through the rubble with their fingernails to reach the screaming voices on the other side.

The hospital staff shared heart-wrenching images and videos of the dead, shrouded in blankets, lining the corridors and arriving at the hospital in a pickup stacked with bodies. Despite the tragedy, there have been moments of hope, such as the rescue of three siblings, including Abdul Haseeb, aged 3, who survived in the rubble for 36 hours.

The hospital staff, who have been through a decade of civil war, say that their experiences have prepared them well for the human toll wrought by the earthquake. They have had to make hard choices, such as only being able to save some patients, as trying to save them all would have meant saving none.

The hospital in Al Atarib was built by the Syrian American Medical Society, a humanitarian group that supports 39 medical facilities in the country. It was built close to the fighting on a main road connecting Aleppo with the city of Idlib and was dug deep underground to evade the bombing by Russian and Syrian forces in rebel-held areas.

In March 2021, the hospital came under a devastating artillery bombardment that killed seven patients and injured 15, including five medical staff members. Despite the challenges, the staff at the Cave remains dedicated to providing medical care to those in need, no matter the danger.

In conclusion, the earthquake in Syria has created a fresh humanitarian crisis, with rescue efforts obstructed by the location of the quake zone. The underground hospital in Al Atarib is at the forefront of the effort to save lives, with dedicated medical staff working tirelessly to provide care to the victims, despite the dangers they face. Their resilience and determination in the face of tragedy is a testament to the human spirit.