Fifteen Syrian refugees found frozen to death trying to cross into Lebanon
Seventeen Syrian refugees, some of them children, have been found frozen to death while trying to cross the mountainous border into Lebanon.
Two bodies were found Saturday after the area was hit by a severe snowstorm, bringing the total to fifteen after thirteen were discovered on Friday. The Lebanese Civil Defense officials reported that there were more bodies found after being told a group of refugees were in trouble near Masnaa.
Two more bodies were found late Sunday, the source said.
Local reports say the group had been abandoned by smugglers. Several refugees were rescued, including a young boy who was found wandering by himself.
Middle East Monitor: “Lebanese soldiers found the bodies, identified as a 30-year-old woman and a three-year-old child, on the mountainous area bordering Syria, it added. On Saturday, six other refugees including three children were among the victims, who died as they attempted to cross into Lebanon…
“On Friday, the Lebanese army said nine refugees froze to death along the Lebanese-Syria border due to harsh weather.”
Two smugglers have reportedly been arrested.
The group were taking the same route hundreds of thousands of Syrians have taken before them trying to flee the conflict at home.
Lebanon, with a population of four million, has taken in nearly one million Syrians since the war began in 2011.
The Lebanese authorities brought in new restrictions in 2015 to try to restrict the number of refugees arriving in the country. To close out 2017, the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) said the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon had fallen to about 998,000 from a previous 1.5 million.
