Thousands of locals were expected to join the more than 30,000 people that have already fled East Ghouta to camps in eastern Damascus, the UN Refugee Agency said on March 19, as airstrikes continued to hit the area.

This video shows Ali Touma, a 75-year-old man displaced from East Ghouta, who told the UNHCR: "Even with my broken leg, we made our way out. I broke it a year ago and had an operation. Now I have metal plates in my leg. I used my crutches to walk out.”

At least 44 people were killed in several towns in East Ghouta on March 19, according to pro-opposition groups. Credit: UNHCR via Storyful