Almost 18,000 citizens managed to flee from militant-controlled areas of Syria’s Aleppo over the past 24 hours, the Russian news agency Sputnik quoted the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation as saying on Saturday.

"The Russian center for reconciliation continues to assist local residents leaving militants-controlled districts of Eastern Aleppo. In the past 24 hours 17,971 more people, including 7,542 children, left the militant-controlled areas with help of the Russian center for reconciliation,” the center said in a statement.

The center noted that Russian servicemen demined about 8 hectares (almost 18 acres) of territory in Aleppo, getting explosives from 24 buildings, including two schools, two mosques and an electric power substation.

Source: MENA