Syrian Refugee Freezes to Death in the Bekaa

A female Syrian refugee died on Thursday in the cold due to the lack of heating equipment at her residence on the outskirts of the eastern Bekaa city of Baalbek.

The state-run National News Agency reported that Rama Mohammed Tehrani had no heating tools, in particular after the U.N. refugee agency and concerned authorities halted aid for the family.

Many Syrians are struggling to stay warm in temperatures hovering around zero degrees, especially in the Bekaa, as most of them live in tents.

The U.N.'s refugee agency UNHCR reportedly distributed cash and fuel coupons to more than 80,000 refugee families.

More than 1.1 million Syrian refugees have fled across the border into Lebanon since March 2011, when the conflict in their country began.

The influx has tested Lebanon's limited resources, and this week the government began imposing unprecedented visa restrictions on Syrians in a bid to stem the number of arrivals.

H.K.

G.K.