At least 29 Syrian children died of cold while they tried to take refuge in a shelter | Chronic

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday that at least 29 children and newborns had died in the past two months, mostly from hypothermia, while they were running away. violence towards the Al Hol IDP camp in the north of the country. from Syria, or shortly after arriving in this enclave.

The representative of WHO in Syria, Elizabeth Hoff, said that "The situation on the ground of Al Hol is devastating", with "Children dying of hypothermia while their families seek safety".

Although WHO, a UN agency, has intensified its activities, Hoff emphasized the importance of speeding up approvals for distributing supplies and serving those who are both in the camp and on the ground. the roads that connect it.

"We urge all parties to give us unlimited access so that we can reach people and provide them with the help they desperately need", he said.

The agency denounced the deterioration of the situation in this area in the province of Hasaka, which reached in just two months some 23,000 people –"mainly women and children"– fleeing open fighting in rural areas of the neighboring region of Deir Ezzor.

Many of them arrive in Al Hol after walking for days or traveling in trucks subjected to very cold temperatures in winter.

Thousands of displaced people were also forced to sleep several nights in the open after their arrival at the reception centers and initial surveillance areas, said the WHO in a statement reproduced by the news agency. Europa Press

The situation is "critical" in an enclave that has tripled its population in just two months, from 10,000 to 33,000 people.

The responsibles "They are unable to cope with those who live in the camp and to provide for those who are underfed and exhausted", fleeing in many cases areas controlled for years by the jihadist Islamic State group.

Since the beginning of the year, WHO has distributed over 35,000 treatments in two mobile clinics and is overseeing new arrivals of displaced people to direct those who need them to the hospital.

He also works on vaccination tasks and trains local workers in psychological care.