Madaya: Huge aid convoy for starvation-stricken Syrian town

Warning: Some may find the images in this article distressing

An aid convoy intended for starving locals in the besieged Syrian village of Madaya is due to set off on Monday, amid growing clamour for the international community to do more to help.

More than 30,000 people live in the town, which lies near the border with Lebanon and has been under severe fire from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the summer.

Rageh Omaar: Madaya shows starvation as a weapon of war

Many face starvation so severe that they have been forced to eat grass and street animals to survive.

The UN convoy, prepared in rural Damascus, is due to provide greatly-needed supplies that would last 40,000 people for one month.

Among them is rice - a kilo of which now costs £170 in Madaya due to the extent of the food shortage.

Aid workers hope the convoy will take off at the start of the week after the Syrian government agreed to allow its humanitarian access.

Deliveries to other besieged areas in the war-torn country are also set to arrive in the coming weeks, the World Food Programme (WFP) says.

After distressing pictures from Madaya and other towns made international news, world leaders have been urged to help the cause.

An online petition calling on Britain to begin RAF aid-drops in to places like Douma, Idlib and Madaya has neared 50,000 signatures, while former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown has written to the Prime Minister calling for urgent help to ease the crisis.

The WFP estimates that around 200,000 people in Syria are facing starvation due to being "deliberately" cut off by armed groups during the conflict.