Thousands of Syrians from the unrest-hit coastal area have fled to neighboring Lebanon, mostly through unofficial crossings, after around 1,000 people were killed there in clashes and massacres, mostly civilians.

The U.N. refugee agency said in a statement that according to local authorities, 6,078 people have arrived in about a dozen villages in northern Lebanon's Akkar province fleeing the fighting and mass killings, while arrivals in other parts of the country were still being verified.