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UN relief agency estimates 6.8 mln people need humanitarian aid

23 May 2013 00:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. An estimated 6.8 million people, including Palestinian refugees who are currently living in Syria, now need humanitarian assistance, deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey told reporters here Wednesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Del Buey, quoted information from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that "of them, 3. 1 million are children."

"Since January 2013, the number of internally displaced people has more than doubled, from 2 million to 4.25 million," he said at a daily news briefing here.

"According to the Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, more than 420, 000 Palestine refugees hosted in Syria are now unable to meet basic food needs and require urgent assistance," he said.

"Humanitarian organizations warn that the rise in temperatures during summer, poor hygiene conditions, and lack of clean water and sanitation services, such as waste collection and disposal, pose a major public health risk in several governorates," he said.