DHAKA: Over 12,000 Syrians arrived over the weekend to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley town of Arsal seeking shelter from expected battles in their country.

A spokesperson from the caretaker Lebanon’s social affairs ministry told TDS Monday.

‘The latest figures of the Syrian refugees who arrived at Arsal over the weekend exceeded 10,000,’ said Saleh Hdaifeh.

‘We have at least 1,700 families and a total of more 12,000 individuals,’ he added.

Hdaifeh said that the ministry is establishing a temporary shelter centre at Arsal where the refugees can stay until they find an alternative refuge.

‘There is a small piece of land over which we are setting up the temporary shelter,’ Hdaifeh said.

‘The refugees will stay at the centre until they can move to other Lebanese regions because Arsal is already overloaded with refugees and cannot cope with the new influx,’ he added.

Arsal already hosts over 30,000 refugees from Syria.

BDST: 1902 HRS, NOV 18, 2013
RoR/SRS