Aleppo resident: 'Situation is worse than imaginable'

Up to 16,000 civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo have fled their homes in the past few days, following the sudden advance by government forces into several besieged rebel-held eastern districts.

The UN has expressed deep alarm. The remaining rebel-held areas continue to be subjected to intense aerial bombardment that has reportedly killed and injured scores.

The 250,000 people still living under siege in the east, among them 100,000 children, have no functioning hospitals. Official food stocks are practically finished.

The BBC spoke to several residents of rebel-held Aleppo about the situation, more than four years after the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad reached the city and left it divided.

Abdulkafi, teacher

"The situation is so difficult now. The regime is progressing on the ground.

"Just imagine that for about four months we have been besieged. No food, and no medical treatment.

Abdulkafi said his daughter Lamar was not getting milk

"I have had to stop teaching at the university. My wife is sick and my daughter is without milk. But they are alive.

"Our house is a bit away from the the places where the regime retook control. Thousands of families have now moved into our area."

Farida, doctor

"The situation on the ground is worse than imaginable. Every hospital has been targeted, so I am working in a medical centre, not a hospital.

"Until now my house was in good condition. But now there is a massive bombardment around it.

"We are depressed."

Ahmad Aziz

"It's something that can't be imagined. We are witnessing the worst days ever. We can't move and see each other because of crazy shelling.

Thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting since the weekend

"I woke up today to know that my best friend has died near a hospital while he was looking for a new house for his family.

"This is simply Aleppo"

Alaa Zedan, photographer

"We want evacuations via safe crossings of civilians to [rebel-held territory in the province of] Idlib.

"We are dying. We need to go to south of Aleppo as we are dying.

A photograph by Alaa shows children posing next to an unexploded bomb

"The Assad regime is criminal and is killing us. 270,000 may die here.

"We want a solution about Aleppo now. Please, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up."

Mohammed, teacher

"The situation now is super bad. It's a catastrophic situation. Everything is so bad. We are all about to die and, as usual, the world is not caring about our blood."

"So many families have fled. Those families have run away from the systematic killing, the systematic shelling that Bashar al-Assad and his allies are launching against the civilians throughout a very violent campaign.

Mohammed believes the world does not care about the plight of Aleppo's civilians

"Most have fled to our areas. They are staying in homes that we have found for them."

"I think some were captured by the regime forces and sent to his areas.

"The only way for this to stop is if the whole word tries to stop Russia, Iran and the Assad regime. This is the only way they can be stopped."

Patrick Evans, UGC and Social News team