UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Some 586,000 people have fled their homes in northwest Syria since Dec. 1 and more than 100,000 others face an immediate risk of displacement because of increased air raids and shelling, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the northwest amid conflict, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"Many of those affected are living in particularly appalling humanitarian conditions and most of the displaced are moving north and west, away from the conflict in search of safety," Dujarric said.
Food, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, health, education and protection assistance are all urgent priorities as many of the displaced left with nothing more than the clothes on their back, he said.
The humanitarian community has released an emergency response plan to address the needs of up to 800,000 people in the northwest of Syria over a six-month period, he said. The requirement of the plan is about 336 million U.S. dollars.
