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February 6 last year
Southern Turkey is located near the Syrian border region
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck suddenly
More than 50,000 people were killed in Turkey
Thousands of people have died in Syria
Nearly a year later
Xinhua News Agency reporters paid a return visit to the earthquake-stricken areas in Syria
In the northern city of Aleppo
The reporter walked into the families of the victims in the destroyed neighborhood
At the home of Yahya Majawaz
The cracks in the house are still visible
One of the exterior walls was collapsed
He used several large stones to build the gap
"Scared but to come back and stay, we had no choice"
Next door to his house was a former apartment building
But now all that remains is a deep pit soaked with sewage
Yahya Kakkh has been living in a cramped office
He was robbed of his ability to move his legs by the earthquake
can only rely on crutches to support the second half of his life
Kakhe, who used to like to ride internationally
I still have my beloved mountain bike
A satchel with the words "Peaceful Traveler" written on it hung in the car
Aleppo was once Syria's largest city and economic center
But in the civil war
It has become a fiercely contested battleground
This is despite the fact that the fighting subsided in 2016
But under the sanctions of the United States and the West for many years
The process of urban renewal has faltered
Salim Habeb, who is in charge of the resettlement housing project, said:
The biggest obstacle to the project's progress is U.S. sanctions
A large amount of construction equipment and materials cannot be imported
The sanctions have also caused the Syrian currency to depreciate rapidly and prices to skyrocket
The price of steel bars has doubled since the start of construction last year
In Majawaz's opinion
Earthquakes are a scar on life
Hunger under sanctions is a constant rift
When he rebuilt the walls of his house
Two windows were deliberately left
In order to welcome the warm sun
When spring arrives
The earth will sprout new branches
They waited in brokenness
-END-
(Reporter: Ji Ze, Cheng Shuaipeng; Photography: Sha Dati, Monsefu (reporter); Editor: Wang Pei; Editor: Xu Xiaolei, Cheng Dayu, Zheng Haoning, Wang Shen, Xu Liyu, Yang Aihua, Liang Yi, Ma Xiaoyan, Wang Shengmei)