A Syrian actor is begging the international community to put aid before politics in the wake of last week’s earthquake.

Over 30 thousand people have died and thousands more remain buried in the rubble of buildings in Turkey and Syria.

But while aid has been getting to parts of Turkey, northwestern Syria has been largely cut off by ongoing conflict between rebels and the Assad regime.

Jay Abdo, a Syrian TV star who was in St. John’s for a weekend shoot, says it’s clear Assad is blocking help to the area, but says the UN is allowing it to continue.

He doesn’t understand how borders and politics can deprive anyone of their human right to be rescued, adding “we’ve been abandoned, we’ve been left alone.”

Abdo says in the absence of fuel or proper tools, many are digging through twisted metal and concrete with their bare hands to find friends and family members.

The actor, who fled Syria 11 years ago and now lives in L.A., was in St. John’s for work on the feature film “Skeet” by mom-and-son team Mary and Nik Sexton.