Over 2 dozen children including babies die from bitter cold in Syria camp, WHO says

At least 29 children and newborns have reportedly died in a teeming camp in northeastern Syria over the past eightweeks, mainly due to hypothermia, the World Health Organization (WHO)said on Thursday.

About 23,000 people who fledfighting in Deir al-Zor between the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance havearrived at al-Hol camp, swelling its population, the UN agency said. The fighting is led by the Kurdish YPG militia

"The situation in al-Hol camp is heartbreaking. Children are dying from hypothermia as their families flee to safety," Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Syria, said in a statement.

Theagency appealed for unhindered access to the camp, saying the situation has become "critical" for 33,000 people, mainly women and children, now living there in bitterly cold conditions.

Many displaced people had walked for days or travelled in open trucks, arriving malnourished and exhausted following "years of deprivation" living under ISIS control, it said.

"Thousands of new arrivals have been forced to spend several nights in the camp's open-air reception and screening areas, without tents, blankets or heating," the WHO added.

WHO-supported teams are working round the clock in the camp to screen new arrivals, support vaccination and refer severely malnourished children to a hospital in al-Hasakah, it said.

"Humanitarian access to the camp and surrounding roads is hampered by bureaucratic obstacles and security constraints," the agencyadded, appealing to all parties to provide unhindered access for life-saving aid.