Medical evacuations from besieged Syrian enclave Eastern Ghouta begin
The evacuation of critically ill patients has begun from the Syrian rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, CBS News partner BBC News reports. They were being brought to the capital, Damascus.
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria tweeted early Wednesday that the evacuations had begun, but did not provide any further details.
Nearly 400,000 people were residing in Eastern Ghouta, which was besieged by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the BBC reports. The United Nations had asked the Assad government to allow the evacuation of approximately 500 critically ill patients, who it said would die without urgent medical care.
Among the 500, nearly 130 were children, according to the BBC, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent posted images of some children and their mothers, saying they were to be taken to hospitals in Damascus.
Earlier this month, the Red Cross said that the situation in Easter Ghouta had reached a "critical point" and that life there was becoming "impossible."
