An aerial view of a camp for ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arriving in Armenia in Goris, in Syunik region, Armenia, September 29, 2023. /CFP
More than 100,000 refugees have now arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, the head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said late on Friday.
"UNHCR and other humanitarian partners are stepping up their support to the Armenian authorities, but international help is very urgently required," said Filippo Grandi.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies representative Hicham Diab said there was a massive need for mental health support for refugees.
"The situation often involves families arriving with children so weak that they have fainted in their parents' arms," he said.
Carlos Morazzani, operations manager of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said it had transferred around 200 bodies out of Karabakh on Thursday – victims of a fuel depot explosion and recent fighting.
Going forward, it will focus on helping those left behind with basic food and hygiene items.
"We had been planning for the evacuation to be a longer process," he said. "The evacuations this week have gone very fast, very high numbers of people, but as a result of that many people become stranded."
(With input from Reuters)