Updated: 19:36, Thursday January 10, 2013
SkyNEWS.com.au
Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have been left without shelter after fierce winter storms ripped through the camp that has become their temporary home.
Around 50,000 people who fled the country to escape fighting are now living in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan - a sprawling tented city in an exposed part of the desert near the Syrian border.
Aid agencies are warning of a major humanitarian crisis after three days of torrential rain and high winds reduced much of the camp to a muddy swamp.
The storm left many tents and shelters collapsed and thousands of the camp's residents exposed to freezing conditions.
One Jordanian charity that helps run the camp has reported aid workers being attacked with sticks and stones during chaotic scenes around food stations. Jordanian police said seven aid workers were injured.
Sky News understands that earlier on Wednesday Unicef sent an emergency delegation of aid workers to assess how best to deal with the worsening conditions in the camp where the vast majority of the refugees are under 18.
Jordanian TV has claimed at least 70 families have been evacuated to alternative locations dues to flooding.
Weather forecasters have predicted the unusually strong storm, which has seen snow and heavy rainfall blight countries across the Middle East, could continue for another two to three days.
A liaison officer with the UN refugee agency in Jordan said international help is needed to deal with the situation. '
We have asked the international community to step up and support the Syrian refugees with better infrastructure, like trailers and prefabricated units, to deal with harsh winter elements,' the officer said.
One refugee who gave his name as Abu Bilal from Daraa told the Associated Press: 'Zaatari is sinking ... We're desperate. We need a solution fast. People's reactions may get out of hand, especially if they see their child fall ill or even die.
'They could do something that nobody will be able to control or blame them for.'
Mr Bilal, a 21-year-old father of two, said his tent had been flooded for days - and that when he appealed for help he was turned away by the agencies which administer the camp.
There are also concerns for the many Syrians who remain in the country but have been forced to leave their homes.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has said many of those who are internally displaced may be facing severe shortages due the difficulty of getting aid to those in need.
WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said the agency planned to provide aid to 1.5 million people in Syria itself, but that efforts were being hampered by a lack of security and the agency's inability to use the Syrian port of Tartus for its shipments.
'Our main partner, the Red Crescent, is overstretched and has no more capacity to expand further,' she said.
Last month, the UN said it needed 620m to aid Syrians refugees in countries around the Middle East, while 312m was required to help refugees in Jordan.
Latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency show 597,240 people have registered or are awaiting registration with the agency in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.
Some countries have higher estimates, noting many have found accommodation without registering.
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