Up to 30, 000 Syrians flee to Lebanon in past 48 hours
- 12 years ago
Syria's border crossing with Lebanon.
According to the UNHCR, up to 30,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon in the past 48 hours.
A UNHCR spokeswoman said the majority of refugees came from Damascus, where there's been heavy fighting over the past week.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) UNHCR SPOKESPERSON, MELISSA FLEMING, SAYING
"We have figures that there could be anywhere from nine thousand to thirty thousand that have fled across the border into Lebanon just in the last 48 hours. Internally displaced there may be up to a million Syrians displaced within the country and inside Damascus we're seeing people shifting from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, sleeping in parks, in schools.''
Beirut's minister of social affairs said Lebanon would open school buildings to give refugees shelter and that other Arab countries have offered humanitarian help.
Sarah Sheffer, Reuters
According to the UNHCR, up to 30,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon in the past 48 hours.
A UNHCR spokeswoman said the majority of refugees came from Damascus, where there's been heavy fighting over the past week.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) UNHCR SPOKESPERSON, MELISSA FLEMING, SAYING
"We have figures that there could be anywhere from nine thousand to thirty thousand that have fled across the border into Lebanon just in the last 48 hours. Internally displaced there may be up to a million Syrians displaced within the country and inside Damascus we're seeing people shifting from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, sleeping in parks, in schools.''
Beirut's minister of social affairs said Lebanon would open school buildings to give refugees shelter and that other Arab countries have offered humanitarian help.
Sarah Sheffer, Reuters