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Syrians leaving east Aleppo in bus loads - U.N.

People, who evacuated the eastern districts of Aleppo, carry their belongings as they arrive in a government held area of Aleppo, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on December 7, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

GENEVA (Reuters) - More Syrians have fled eastern Aleppo, with reports of about 800 arriving in the past 24 hours at a disused cotton factory in the Jibreen district of west Aleppo and 1,260 in Hanano district, retaken by government forces, a U.N. official said on Wednesday. Bus loads of civilians continue to arrive in government-controlled areas of the city and leave for other sites or to lodge with family members, the U.N. official said by email. They join an estimated 31,500 people from east Aleppo already uprooted over the past week. "The UN is deeply concerned for the welfare, safety and protection of civilians in Aleppo, particularly those trapped in the besieged part of the eastern part of the city, as the fighting has dramatically spread and intensified in the last 24 hours," the U.N. official said. (Reporting by Tom Miles; writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Catherine Evans)