UN: Record three million refugees flee Syria crisis

A record three million people have fled violence and chaos in Syria, the UNHCR has said amid reports of increasingly horrifying conditions inside the country.

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UN map reveals destination of Syrian refugees

The UN has published a map revealing which countries some three million Syrian refugees have fled to - with many escaping the conflict in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.

The UN refugee agency has said many newly arriving refugees only left Syria as a last resort.

UN map reveals destination of Syrian refugees Credit: Twitter/UNHCRUK

A growing number, including more than half of those coming to Lebanon, have moved at least once before fleeing, and one in 10 have moved more than three times.

One woman told UNHCR she had moved 20 times before crossing into Lebanon.

UN: Syrians in 'shocking state, exhausted, scared'

Aid agencies and the UN Refugee agency have said that increasing numbers of families are arriving in a shocking state, exhausted, scared and with their savings depleted after fleeing their homes. Most have been on the run for a year or more, fleeing from village to village before taking the final decision to leave.

There are worrying signs too that the journey out of Syria is becoming tougher, with many people forced to pay bribes at armed checkpoints proliferating along the borders. Refugees crossing the desert into eastern Jordan are being forced to pay smugglers hefty sums - US$100 (£60) a head or more - to take them to safety

– UNHCR statement

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More than 3m refugees amid the horror of Syrian crisis

Syria's worsening refugee crisis will pass a record three million people, amid reports of horrifying conditions inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.

Almost half of all Syrians have now been forced to abandon their homes and flee for their lives. One in every eight Syrians has fled across the border, fully a million more than a year ago. A further 6.5 million are displaced within Syria. Over half of those uprooted are children.

– UNCR statement

Children live in unfinished building after fleeing Syria

ITV News Middle East News Editor Lutfi Abu-Aun has spoken to Syrian refugees in Lebanon:

Record 3 million Syrian refugees in 'biggest-ever crisis'

The total number of refugees created by ongoing fighting in Syria has reached a record three million, United Nations' refugee body says.

Almost half of all Syrians have now been displaced from their homes due to the crisis, with one in every eight fleeing across the border.

More than half of all displaced Syrians are children. Credit: Reuters

Over half of those uprooted are children, the UNHCR says, adding that most families have been on the run for a year or more.

The vast majority of those that have left Syria are registered refugees in Lebanon (1.14 million), Jordan (608,000) and Turkey (815,000), the agency says.

The organisation adds that its Syria operation has become the largest in its 64-year history.

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