EN
27 September 2012 - 09:45 AMT

Number of Syrian refugees can reach 700000 by year end

The number of refugees fleeing Syria could reach 700,000 by the end of the year, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday, Sept 27, far surpassing its previous forecast of 185,000 reached in August, acccording to Reuters.

About 294,000 Syrian refugees fleeing 18 months of conflict in their homeland have already crossed into four neighboring countries – Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey – or await registration there, it said.

"This plan provides for up to 700,000," Panos Moumtzis, regional refugee coordinator for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told a news briefing.