There was little food here because most aid groups have been barred from handing out what goods they have in the valley. Local Albanian bakers drive to the border daily to hand out hundreds of loaves of bread, causing near riots among the refugees. We need humanitarian aid. We need help now. There also are no sanitation facilities.
Refugees relieve themselves in the same creek where they bathe their children.
The entire valley, about the size of two football fields, smells of human waste. There is only one water truck and two small medical tents staffed by overworked doctors from the International Medical Corps and the local Red Cross. Most work around the clock, rarely stopping to rest. At least 30 refugees have died since Friday from heart attacks, dehydration and diarrhea. Doctors expect the death rate to rise quickly as cholera and dysentery set in.