Syria plunged into darkness by war; 83 percent of lights have gone out

DAMASCUS, Syria, March 12 (UPI) -- Satellite images released by the #WithSyria global humanitarian coalition show that about 83 percent of lights in Syria have gone out since the conflict began nearly four years ago.

The #WithSyria coalition is made up of members including Amnesty International, the United Nations, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Oxfam International and about 130 non-governmental organizations.

The satellite images were analyzed by scientists at Wuhan University in China. The fourth-year anniversary of the conflict in Syria is on March 15.

"Dear World Leaders: Four years since it began, the Syrian crisis continues to deepen, and the human suffering is greater than ever before," #WithSyria states on its website. "Satellite images show that 83% of Syria's lights have gone out over the last four years – plunging streets, homes, schools and hospitals into darkness, and gradually extinguishing hope."

The study found that about 97 percent of lights were out in Aleppo and 35 percent were out in the capital of Damascus.

More 200,000 people have died in the conflict and about 10 million have fled their homes, according to the coalition.

Since 2011, 83% of #Syria's lights have gone out. Help turn them back on http://t.co/YjHk9yh1TP #withSyria Pls RT pic.twitter.com/03ocsqlP0m

— Oxfam International (@Oxfam) March 12, 2015

The coalition also calls on world leaders to send a strong message to warring factions that attacks on civilians must end, to increase humanitarian aid for refugees and to look for political solutions through diplomacy to end the conflict.

"Taken from 500 miles above the earth, these images help us understand the suffering and fear experienced by ordinary Syrians every day, as their country is destroyed around them," President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband said. "Four years since this crisis began, Syria's people have been plunged into the dark: destitute, fearful, and grieving for the friends they have lost and the country they once knew."

The group estimates that about 3 million Syrian children are no longer in school.

#WithSyria released a video about the loss of electricity, asking viewers to "help us turn them back on."