Evacuation of critically ill Syrians trapped in a rebel-held suburb near the capital Damascus is underway, the International Committee for the Red Cross said on Wednesday, following reports that conditions in the area have reached alarming levels.
Activists said the evacuation from eastern Ghouta began late on Tuesday, when five patients left eastern Ghouta. The International Committee of the Red Cross, partnering with the local Syrian Arab Crescent, are handling the evacuations. Neither had any immediate comment on the number or condition of the evacuees. SARC spokeswoman Mona Kurdi said they arrived in hospitals in government-controlled Damascus.
The Army of Islam, a prominent rebel group in eastern Ghouta, said 29 critically ill residents will be evacuated as part of a deal that was conditional on it releasing an equivalent number of captives it held.