Over 444,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon: UN

Beirut: The number of Syrian refugees who fled the turmoil in their country to Lebanon have soared to over 444,000, the UN Higher Council for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.

Lebanon is facing mounting difficulties in dealing with the growing number of refugees fleeing Syria`s unrest. According to UNHCR`s weekly report released Sunday, the number of registered refugees has reached 330,000, while over 113,000 are still waiting for finalizing their registration process, Xinhua reported. There are currently 137,000 Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon, 119,000 in the Bekaa region, 45,000 in Mount Lebanon and Beirut, and 28,000 in southern Lebanon, it added. The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has surpassed 10 percent of Lebanon`s population and it is causing a huge burden on the Lebanese government and people, the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has said. IANS