UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN relief wing said Thursday that up to 66,000 people have been displaced and civilian deaths continue to be reported due to the latest round of conflict escalation in southern Syria.
The majority of the displaced reportedly fled from eastern Dara'a towards the Jordanian border, many of whom remain stranded in the desert area with little access to humanitarian assistance, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
At least 13,000 have fled toward Quneitra governorate and hundreds of others have reportedly fled to government-controlled areas in As-Sweida governorate, it added
OCHA expects the number of internally displaced Syrians to rise as hostilities continue.
With regard to casualties, OCHA said at least 29 civilian deaths have been reported as a result of ground-based strikes and airstrikes on Wednesday, and at least 50 have been reported since 17 June.
While routes used by interagency cross-border convoys from Jordan remain open, planned convoys in the past two days were postponed due to ongoing hostilities and safety concerns.
OCHA pledged that the UN is monitoring the situation closely and the convoy will proceed as soon as the security situation allows.
