Civilians leave Aleppo facing snow and temperatures below zero
More than 34,000 people have been evacuated from the Syrian city, but thousands remain in the area; UN believes that operation is in the final phase; Families receive clothes for the cold and winter kits.
Displaced in Aleppo, Syria, they queue to receive food distributed by the World Food Program,
WFP. Photo: PMA / Hani Al Homsh
Leda Letra, from UN News in New York.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ocha, this Friday released the latest information on the plan for the withdrawal of civilians from Aleppo, which enters the final phase.
Thousands of people are still under siege in the Syrian city, but with the help of the Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent, many families left Aleppo at dawn. The operations follow during the day.
Snow
Since Thursday night, UN observers have been accompanying thousands of people from eastern Aleppo to private vehicles, who have had difficulty following a snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 34,000 people have been evacuated from shantytowns in eastern Aleppo since 15 December. According to the World Health Organization, 435 wounded or sick were able to leave the city, and 95 patients in critical conditions were transferred to Turkey.
Vulnerability
Protecting civilians leaving Aleppo remains a major concern of humanitarian agencies. Ocha points out that the withdrawal process becomes "traumatic" because people are vulnerable and wait for hours at negative temperatures.
The UN Office recalls that all civilians have the right to leave Aleppo safely and receive immediate humanitarian assistance. Families drawn from the city and heading to rural areas in western Aleppo or to Idleb receive cold clothing, winter kits and heating fuel.
More than 20 mobile clinics are scattered along civilian evacuation routes, and eight hospitals in the area have received medications and other items to treat the wounded and sick. Among 1,200 children who had been screened, none were diagnosed with severe malnutrition.
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