Schools reopen as Syrians live with quake’s devastation

By GHAITH ALSAYED
Associated Press

IDLIB, Syria (AP) — Local officials say that schools are reopening in Syria’s rebel-held northwest Saturday after closing for nearly three weeks following an earthquake that devastated the region. Many schools were turned into temporary shelters following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and neighboring parts of Syria on Feb. 6 and killed tens of thousands of people. The quake left homeless hundreds of thousands of people in the area, many of whom had already been displaced by Syria’s 12-year-long war. A local journalist in northwestern Syria said Saturday however that many students were absent from their classes as their homes were damaged by the quake and their families now reside far away from the schools.