Conflict Incident Report

The number of Syrian refugees who died of exposure while crossing into Lebanon over the weekend has risen to 16, the mayor of the Bekaa town of Suweiri said Sunday.

Hussein Ali Amer confirmed to The Daily Star that two additional bodies had been retrieved Sunday on the mountainous outskirts of the town. Two bodies were also found the day before.

Twelve bodies had been found dead Friday. Authorities originally reported 13 had died Friday, before revising that number to 12.

The Syrian refugees, part of a larger group of at least 20, had planned to cross into Suweiri using irregular routes through mountainous terrain separating Lebanon from Syria.

The group was making the crossing in early Friday morning as a storm struck, bringing high winds, snow and plunging temperatures.

Among those who died Friday were at least two children and eight women, while at least one more woman was said to have been among those found Saturday.

UNICEF’s Regional Director Geert Cappelaere was quoted in a statement Sunday as saying the events were “tragic,” and that “our thoughts are with the families who lost their loved ones, victims of a war that soon enters its [eighth] year.”

“Syrian people continue to risk their lives and the lives of their children in a desperate search for safety and shelter,” Cappelaere said.

UNICEF and its partners were working to provide assistance for refugee families dealing with cold weather, he said; however, “the death of these two Syrian children is ... a reminder that much more needs to be done.”

“More children could be among the dead as residents in the area and the Lebanese authorities continue to look for people who are reportedly trapped in the mountains in freezing temperatures and snow,” Cappelaere said.

The Lebanese Army and Civil Defense have not yet publicly called off the search operation for those who may still be missing.

In 2015, the Lebanese government barred the U.N.’s refugee agency, UNHCR, from registering Syrian refugees, and placed additional restrictions on them entering the country without guarantors or work visas, or for transit.

These restrictions have reportedly led to a rise in smuggling. An Army source told The Daily Star Friday that the smugglers leading the group had “left them.”

Although Friday’s incident received substantial media attention due to the number of casualties, the illegal entrance of Syrian refugees, into Lebanon, often in harsh and unsafe conditions, is a regular occurrence.