Victims fleeing Islamic State max out capacity at Syria's Al-Hol camp

April 3 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of women and children fleeing Islamic State control have flooded the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria creating what some call a humanitarian crisis.

The large camp, controlled by United States-supported Kurdish forces, has been swamped with the influx of women and children coming into the camp over the past two months, the Washington Post reported.

"It's a disaster," Aydin Khalil, the director of the People's Hospital in Hasakah said of the Al-Hol camp, which is holding twice more than it was built to hold.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the population at the Al-Hol camp has jumped from 35,000 to more than 73,000 since February, caused by fighting in Hajin and Baghouz that destroyed basic infrastructure and services.

The camp was created to hold Iraqi refugees from the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Residents sleep in common areas and the wounded are mostly left untreated. Hospitals and clinics are maxed out with the critically wounded.

Corinne Fleischer, the humanitarian coordinator, said in a statement that many cannot return to where they came from because of the fighting.

"High-levels of explosive contamination are currently preventing a safe return to these areas, while many women and children face a disconcerting and uncertain future ahead of them," Fleischer said. "We urgently appeal to member states to make more funds available to support the response in Al-Hol, while also seeking durable solutions, including for their citizens.

"Without continued support, many women and children inside the camp, some of whom have already been exposed to extreme violence and deprivation after years of living under [Islamic State] rule, will be exposed to unnecessary further suffering," she continued.