A ceasefire which started late Tuesday in Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in Northern Lebanon remained in place on Wednesday morning as refugees continued their exodus from the besieged camp.

A source from the camp told Xinhua through telephone that fires basically died down on Wednesday morning.

Since 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (1630 GMT), refugees started fleeing from the camp, availing the ceasefire which allowed aid convoys to enter the Nahr el-Bared camp after three days of fighting.

UN relief officers said that around 10,000 refugees are expected to flee from the Nahr el-Bared camp to the nearby Beddawi camp, another Palestinian refugee camp at south of Tripoli. Many are expected to stay temporarily in schools in that camp.

Three days' fighting had left significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in the Nahr el-Bared camp, with homes, water tanks and mosques all hit. Palestinian groups say 40,000 refugees inside the camp are without electricity.

Deliveries of food and water to the beleaguered people were halted on Tuesday afternoon when shells exploded near a United Nations convoy.

On late Tuesday afternoon, UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesperson Hoda Samra said at least three residents of the camp were killed when United Nations convey delivering humanitarian assistance arrived under fire.

At least 50 soldiers and militants have died since Sunday in Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. The civilian toll could not be confirmed, but according to Samra, at least 100 residents of the camp are believed to be wounded during the fighting.

Source: Xinhua