WFP Statement on Syria Operation
Rome – WFP today conducted its first high altitude airdrop over the besieged city of Deir Ezzor, dropping 21 metric tons of assistance.
The operation faced technical difficulties and we are debriefing crew and partners in Deir Ezzor to make necessary adjustments. The team will try again when possible to deliver assistance to up to 200,000 people in desperate need in the besieged city whom we have not been able to reach since March 2014. High altitude drops are extremely challenging to carry out and take more than one trial to develop full accuracy.
Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo, Tel. +202 2528 1730 ext. 2600, Mob. +201066634352
Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 65132321, Mob. +39 346 7600521
Gregory Barrow, WFP/London, Tel. +44 20 72409001, Mob. +44 7968 008474
Bettina Luescher, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41 22 917 8564, Mob. + 41-79-842-8057
Gerald Bourke, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-646-5566909, Mob. +1-646 525 9982