DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. sanctions are blocking the humanitarian work in Syria, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, a day after the deadly earthquake hit the country and stretched its already limited resources.

Civil defense workers and residents search through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the town of Harem near the Turkish border, Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo: AP)

In a statement, the ministry said that the Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among rubbles with their own hands or using the simplest tools as the equipment for removing the rubbles is banned by the U.S.

It said that the Syrians are also banned from medicines and medical equipment that would help them face dangers and diseases.

According to the figures released by the Syrian Health Ministry on Tuesday, 812 people were killed and 1,449 others injured in Hama, Aleppo, Latakia, Tartous provinces, and rebel-held area in Idlib province after Monday's powerful earthquakes struck the country.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights placed the number of casualties at 1,620.