United Nations, City, Ramadan 17, 1432, Aug 17, 2011, SPA - The United Nations says thousands of Palestinian refugees have been forced to flee their camp in the Syrian city of Lattakia as government troops continue to shell the besieged town. Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said on Monday that the Palestinians fled after the northern port city came under fire by gunboats cruising off the coast and ground troops attacking Lattakia over the weekend. Gunness said at least four people were killed at the refugee camp, and he called for immediate access to the site. “We are extremely concerned about the situation in Lattakia, where more than half the refugee camp, between 5,000 and 10,000 people, have fled,” he said. “We are saying to the Syrian government we want immediate humanitarian access to tend to the sick, to tend to the dying, and to get our programs up and running.” --SPA 11:50 LOCAL TIME 08:50 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/918488