Red Cross Presses for Access to Syria Victims

The International Committee of the Red Cross is urging Syria to lift restrictions on access to people injured in violence between police and anti-government protesters.

Representatives for the relief group said Tuesday that the violence has resulted in a large number of casualties and if the situation worsens, more lives could be lost.

Spokesman Hisham Hassan said aid workers especially need access to the injured in the southern city of Daraa.

Witnesses say new military reinforcements entered Daraa Sunday, joining thousands who already were there. Fuel, water, power and communications have been severely disrupted in Daraa for days. Food is said to be scarce.

Nearly all foreign media have been banned from Syria, making it almost impossible to confirm the reports.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.