(Reuters) - Up to
700,000 Syrian refugees may flee abroad by the end of the year, the
U.N. refugee agency said on Thursday, almost four times its previous
forecast for the exodus from the deepening crisis.
About 294,000 refugees fleeing
18 months of conflict in Syria have already crossed into four
neighbouring countries - Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey - or await
registration there, it said.
"This
is a significant outflow taking place, 100,000 people in August, 60,000
in September and at the moment 2,000 or 3,000 per day or night," Panos
Moumtzis, regional refugee coordinator for the U.N. refugee agency
UNHCR, told a news briefing.
"For example, Zaaatri camp, which is a town, did not exist until 30 days ago, it was a piece of desert basically," he said.
The UNHCR's previous forecast - of 185,000 refugees - was surpassed in August. It had been made in June.
The
uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, which erupted in March last
year, has become an armed insurgency in which activists say 30,000
people have been killed.
Bombardment
and heavier fighting between government forces and militants is forcing
Syrians to flee hot spots across the country, Moumtzis said. Many cross
borders with only the clothes on their backs after a perilous journey
through frontlines.
"These are
families, women and children who escaped Homs, Hama, Deraa, Idlib,
Aleppo who have come out with traumatic experiences and have told us
they have fled," Moumtzis said.
"We have been overwhelmed with catching up basically, because every week we have another 15,000 to 20,000 who have arrived."
Other Syrians, who fled the uprising early on, now find they have depleted their resources and are registering as refugees.
RACE AHEAD OF WINTER
U.N.
aid agencies and humanitarian partners issued a funding appeal of
$487.9 million to try to meet growing needs before a bitter winter sets
in.
They are struggling to provide
winterised tents, caravans, blankets, clothing, and food for up to
700,000 refugees expected to be staying in camps or as guests in host
communities.
