Kurdish officials in northeastern Syria have expressed their concerns about the sharp increase in cases of Coronavirus in their region, and called on international health organizations to intervene to prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the “Voice Of America website .

Officials announced a 10-day curfew, in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus in the region, which is home to nearly 5 million people, including thousands of internally displaced people, refugees and ISIS prisoners.

Joan Mustafa, director of the health department in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said: “The situation is out of control.” She added: “In the past few weeks, we have witnessed an increasing rate of Corona cases in our region. We need immediate help from international health organizations to stop a potential humanitarian disaster.”

On Wednesday, the region recorded 248 new cases and five deaths, bringing the total number of Coronavirus infections in northeastern Syria to 13004, including 437 deaths.

Local health officials said that the actual number of people infected with the virus may be much higher: “Our testing capacity is very limited, and our hospitals and health facilities are overcrowded,” adding that “many people who carry the virus are staying at home without informing us.”

One in four deaths related to Corona was recorded on Tuesday in Al Hol camp, where more than 60,000 people, including thousands of families of foreign ISIS fighters, reside.