Nearly 8,000 Yazidi refugees that were stranded on northern Iraq's Mount Sinjar were able to escape to a temporary camp in the Dohuk province, Sky News reported Wednesday.
But as they fled the mountains to safety, harrowing accounts of life in the Sinjar Mountains emerged- some children drank their parent's blood to quench their thirst. Other children who died were buried underneath rocks, Sky News reported from the refugee camp Zakho.
"One man has just told us how he saw four children die of thirst," the station reported. "There was nowhere to bury them on the mountain so they just put rocks on their bodies.
"Another man was saying the children were so thirsty, their parents started cutting their own hands and giving them blood to drink."
News of the Yazidis' escape comes as the U.S. announced a combination of air strikes and efforts from Kurdish forces broke the Islamic State's hold on Mount Sinjar.
Nearly 40,000 ethnic Yazidis, an ancient religious minority from the Kurdish region, were forced out of their homes after receiving death threats from the Islamic State, a Sunni militant group that has terrorized and displaced thousands across northern Iraq in their quest to establish a caliphate.
"They've got absolutely nothing, and I can't stress this enough," aid worker Taban Shoresh told Sky News. "No food, no water. They're dehydrated. They've got no clothes, their shoes have been worn off. It is extremely hot and exposed to the sun."
Between 6,000 and 8,000 refugees walked up to 12 hours in the blazing heat to reach camp Zakho. But while they escaped death by starvation and dehydration, conditions at the camp are harsh. There is no electricity and barely any bathrooms, according to Sky News.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said thanks to the air strikes and the Kurds, many refugees were able to escape, The Guardian reported.
"Because of the skill and professionalism of our military, and the generosity of our efforts, we broke the [ISIS] siege on Mount Sinjar, we helped vulnerable people reach safety, and we helped save many innocent lives," Obama said.
