Red Cross says aid convoy has arrived in Syria's Homs

A Red Cross convoy carrying life-saving aid has reached the Syrian city of Homs and is about to enter the shattered district of Baba Amro, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told Reuters on Friday.    

"We are in Homs preparing to enter Baba Amro," ICRC chief spokeswoman Carla Haddad told Reuters in Geneva.    

Earlier, the ICRC said that its convoy of 7 trucks loaded with food and other relief supplies was heading from the capital Damascus to Homs where volunteers and ambulances of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were waiting to enter the district together.    

The aim was to start delivering vital aid and evacuating the sick or wounded needing medical attention.

A convoy carrying food and other aid expects to arrive in the Syrian city of Homs shortly and hopes to enter the shattered district of Baba Amro along with ambulances of the Syrian Red Crescent, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported.   

"A joint ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent team left Damascus this morning towards Homs with 7 truckloads of assistance including food and other assistance material," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan told Reuters in Geneva.    

"Snow is making the movement of the convoy slower, but we hope to be in Homs within the hour. Red Crescent volunteers and ambulances are waiting in Homs for the convoy to arrive and we are hoping to enter Baba Amro as soon as possible," he said.    

The ICRC received a "green light" from Syrian authorities on Thursday hours after rebels left the heavily bombarded area following a 26-day siege aimed at crushing a symbol of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Reuters