(Zaman Al Wasl)- Death toll of the six-month-old siege imposed on the town of Madaya northwest of Damascus has risen to 31, local activists and medics said Wednesday.
Of 31 deaths in Madaya in recent weeks, 10 were attributed to a lack of food and the rest were either shot to death or blown up by mines planted by the Syrian regime and Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah forces, activists and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Despite all pleas, regime keeps tuning a blind eye on the tragic living conditions in Madaya which is surrounded by a belt of 6000 landmines.
Up to 40,000 people have been left for death of hunger in the border town with Lebanon for over 200 days due to the suffocating siege, activists said.
People have taken to removing interior doors in their homes and burning them for heat, a local official who identified himself as Samir Ali told AP that the cost of goods has soared, with a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of crushed wheat selling for about $250 and 900 grams (31 ounces) of powdered milk for infants going for about $300. A group of people recently killed a dog and ate it, he said.
The de facto famine, and the horrible footage leaked from Madaya seemed unable to push the international community and the human rights organizations to take a concrete act to loosen the siege, in time the United Nations is intensifying efforts to evacuate rebels and ISIS militants from Damascus suburbs, leaving civilians died of starvation, observers said.
Photos and footage calculated online shows skinny infants and children in horrible health condition due to malnutrition and lack of food and milk.
Meanwhile, Madaya's people are facing a harsh challenge as a snowstorm started on Friday is expected to increase their suffering.
In 2015, at least 195 people had died of starvation across the war-torn country due to the suffocating siege and starvation policy imposed by Syrian regime, local monitoring group said.
Syria's Revolutionaries Rally said 132 children, 55 men, and 21 women have lost their lives due to the suffocating siege on rebel-held areas in Syria.
Syria's war started with a pro-democracy movement that grew into an armed uprising and has inflamed regional confrontations. About 300,000 people have died in the conflict, according to United Nations estimates.
Of 31 deaths in Madaya in recent weeks, 10 were attributed to a lack of food and the rest were either shot to death or blown up by mines planted by the Syrian regime and Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah forces, activists and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Despite all pleas, regime keeps tuning a blind eye on the tragic living conditions in Madaya which is surrounded by a belt of 6000 landmines.
Up to 40,000 people have been left for death of hunger in the border town with Lebanon for over 200 days due to the suffocating siege, activists said.
People have taken to removing interior doors in their homes and burning them for heat, a local official who identified himself as Samir Ali told AP that the cost of goods has soared, with a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of crushed wheat selling for about $250 and 900 grams (31 ounces) of powdered milk for infants going for about $300. A group of people recently killed a dog and ate it, he said.
The de facto famine, and the horrible footage leaked from Madaya seemed unable to push the international community and the human rights organizations to take a concrete act to loosen the siege, in time the United Nations is intensifying efforts to evacuate rebels and ISIS militants from Damascus suburbs, leaving civilians died of starvation, observers said.
Photos and footage calculated online shows skinny infants and children in horrible health condition due to malnutrition and lack of food and milk.
Meanwhile, Madaya's people are facing a harsh challenge as a snowstorm started on Friday is expected to increase their suffering.
In 2015, at least 195 people had died of starvation across the war-torn country due to the suffocating siege and starvation policy imposed by Syrian regime, local monitoring group said.
Syria's Revolutionaries Rally said 132 children, 55 men, and 21 women have lost their lives due to the suffocating siege on rebel-held areas in Syria.
Syria's war started with a pro-democracy movement that grew into an armed uprising and has inflamed regional confrontations. About 300,000 people have died in the conflict, according to United Nations estimates.
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