For Immediate Release
April 28, 2015
Washington, DC – A barrel bomb dropped from a government helicopter hit a SAMS-supported facility in Aleppo today at 1:20pm. The barrel bomb went through the roof of the operating room in the basement of the facility, damaging the hospital’s infrastructure and destroying essential medical equipment. The facility has been temporarily closed. This is the fifth direct attack on this facility in the last year. Thankfully, no staff or patients were injured in the attack.
The lives of civilians and medical workers were saved by to the innovative underground structure that has been established in many facilities throughout Aleppo. Beginning in 2014, SAMS worked with partners to build emergency rooms and operating rooms housed in underground basements. SAMS helped reinforce the outer walls of the hospitals to absorb shocks from attacks by missiles and barrel bombs and fortify the structures of the windows and entrances. Aleppo experiences barrel bombs, shelling, and missile strikes on a weekly basis. Though in violation of international humanitarian law and several UN Security Council Resolutions, hospitals are targeted by aerial strikes throughout Syria. SAMS strongly condemns these attacks and calls for the international community to act quickly to protect civilians and health workers from continued attacks.
SAMS supports health workers saving lives and rebuilding healthcare in Syria. Please consider supporting these courageous medical staff.
