UN says 230,000 people have fled Syria violence
By Associated Press
Mar 13, 2012 5:26 AM CDT

The U.N. refugee agency says 230,000 Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of violence last year.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' coordinator for Syria says 30,000 people have already fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and "on a daily basis hundreds of people are still crossing into neighboring countries."

Panos Moumtzis told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that according to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent at least 200,000 people are also displaced within the country.

He says some 110,000 mostly Iraqi refugees living in Syria are meanwhile reporting increased hardship due to rising prices for basic goods.

Moumtzis says prices for imported goods have "skyrocketed" because of the devaluation of the Syrian pound.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

GENEVA (AP) _ The U.N. refugee agency says 230,000 Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of violence last year.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' coordinator for Syria says 30,000 people have already fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and "on a daily basis hundreds of people are still crossing into neighboring countries."

Panos Moumtzis told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that according to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent at least 200,000 people are also displaced within the country.

He says some 110,000 mostly Iraqi refugees living in Syria are meanwhile reporting increased hardship due to rising prices for basic goods.

Moumtzis says prices for imported goods have "skyrocketed" because of the devaluation of the Syrian pound.