Escalation in Syria will worsen humanitarian situation: Red Cross
People look at the damage at a site hit by what activists say was a car bomb in Raqqa province, eastern Syria August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Nour Fourat
GENEVA | Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:53am EDT
(Reuters) - An escalation of the Syrian crisis in the wake of the apparent use of chemical weapons will worsen the situation in the country where the suffering of civilians has reached unprecedented levels, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
In a statement on Thursday, the ICRC said it was appalled by reports of chemical weapons being used on August 21 and said there were acute shortages of vital medical supplies, food and water in a number of areas cut off from aid for months.
"Further escalation will likely trigger more displacement and add to humanitarian needs, which are already immense," said Magne Barth, head of the ICRC delegation in Syria. "In large parts of rural Damascus for example, people are dying because they lack medical supplies and because there are not enough medical personnel to attend to them."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
