Bombing of Key Infrastructure Forces Reassessment of Evacuation Routes
IOM is reassessing escape routes by land and sea as key roads and
bridges north of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, were bombed
early this morning.
An IOM convoy carrying 470 Filipinos and 250 Sri Lankans was to
leave this morning using the coastal highway to the Al Arida border
crossing via Tripoli, until today the only real escape route by
land. But the bombing of infrastructure around Juniyeh, just north
of Beirut has cut a vital link to the Syrian border.
As an emergency measure to get the more than 600 stranded
migrants out today and working with authorities to identify usable
roads, IOM will be using the undamaged sections of the highway
wherever possible and a much smaller coastal road, which has a lot
of traffic, when necessary.
"This is not ideal by any means as the journey will take much
longer and will be more difficult. But we have no choice. This is
an emergency situation and we have to get these people out today.
There is nowhere to shelter them here," said Vincent Houver,
IOM’s evacuation coordinator in Lebanon. "We will have to
postpone tomorrow’s evacuations at least until we reassess
the situation to find a more practical and safer route out."
IOM has also examined sea escape routes as a possibility before,
including taking people from Beirut to various Syrian coastal towns
or to Cyprus. However, this is more unwieldy as an option.
"It’s been safer and quicker to move hundreds of people at
a time by land convoy using this highway. If we cannot find another
land alternative, we may have no choice but to help get people out
by sea," said Vincent Houver, IOM’s evacuation coordinator in
Lebanon.
Until today, about 4,000 stranded migrants from countries unable
to help their nationals flee the conflict in Lebanon have been
assisted by IOM using funds provided by the European Commission and
the US government.
IOM has been taking evacuees to Syria from where it has provided
repatriation assistance in addition to food, medical and shelter
care.
For further information, please contact:
Jean Philippe Chauzy (Syria)
Tel: + 41 79 285 4366
Jemini Pandya (Geneva)
Tel: + 41 22 717 9486 or + 41 79 217 3374
Email:
"mailto:jpandya@iom.int">jpandya@iom.int
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