Syrian exodus at 1 million

The UNHCR said the 1 million comprised both registered refugees and those awaiting registration, and that more than 400,000 Syrians - nearly half the total figure - have fled since January 1. The agency based its count on fresh data from its offices in the region.

"With a million people in flight, millions more displaced internally and thousands of people continuing to cross the border every day, Syria is spiraling towards full-scale disaster," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

"We are doing everything we can to help, but the international humanitarian response capacity is dangerously stretched. This tragedy has to be stopped."

Guterres said that most Syrians had gone to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

Strained to the limit

Jordan hosts more than 400,000 refugees, Lebanon has more than 300,000 Syrians, and the count in Turkey is 185,000. Guterres noted that Lebanon's population had risen 10 percent as a result of the influx, and that Turkey had spent over $600 million (460 million euros) on refugee camps.

He said that the countries were stretched to the limit trying to keep up with the increasing arrivals and should be "massively supported" by other governments. However, despite pledges of $1.5 billion by international donors, only 25 percent has been funded.

About half of the refugees are children, most of them younger than 11, according to UNHCR.

The UN recently estimated that 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war.

mkg/ipj (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP)