Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - UN officials have visited the Syrian capital Damascus to call for people who want to leave the Yarmouk refugee camp on the city’s fringes, to be given safe passage.

Yarmouk is home to thousands of Syrians as well as Palestinian refugees.

Some people have managed to escape from the camp, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between government forces, Islamic State militants, and other militia groups.

“Today we remain very worried for the refugees and civilians who are inside Yarmouk,” said Pierre Krahenbuhl, UNRWA Commisioner General. “We are very determined to provide assistance to those who have decided temporarily to leave the camp itself and to find shelter elsewhere and we will also take very seriously the needs of Yalda and Babila.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has described Yarmouk as the ‘deepest circle of hell’ and officials estimate that around 18 000 people are trapped there.

“We, the people of Yarmouk refugee camp, we are civilians,”, said this woman. “We have children and patients to look after. There is no medical care here. We don’t have anything – no water, no food. Let them open the road for us. We need to eat and drink, let them allow us relief and food.”

As senior military source told Reuters news agency that the Syrian army is considering solutions to the plight of the trapped people.

*euronews