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Syria death toll at least 80,000, says UN General Assembly president

by Reuters
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 15:00 GMT

A fighter from the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra is seen in front of a burning vehicle, caused by what activists said were missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, at their base in Raqqa province, east Syria, May 12, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib

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UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Reuters) - The death toll in Syria from the country's two-year civil war is at least 80,000, an increase of about 20,000 since the start of the year, the president of the U.N. General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, said on Wednesday.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said on Jan. 2 that more than 60,000 people had been killed during the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which began with peaceful protests but turned violent when Assad's forces cracked down.

"At least 80,000 have perished since the start of the hostilities, with most of those casualties believed to be civilians," Jeremic told the 193 General Assembly members before a vote on a resolution on the Syrian conflict.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group, said on Tuesday that at least 94,000 people have been killed but the death toll is likely to be as high as 120,000.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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