Aleppo Evacuation 2016 Pictures: Ceasefire Death, Injuries Reported As Residents Leave Syria City

The evacuation of Aleppo got off to a bloody start as at least one person was killed and others injured by pro-Syria forces as a ceasefire was expected to take effect Thursday, according to a new report. The person who died was among a group of injured evacuees leaving the eastern part of city that has been the epicenter of a civil war, an advocacy group of first responders said in a video posted Thursday.

"Regime forces opened fire on us," Hassan Haji Ibrahim, of the Syrian Civil Defense group, said in the video, according to CBS News. "Civil defense staff inside the ambulances were injured. Civilians were also injured inside the ambulances. Some are in critical condition."

However, the violence had died down by late morning local time, a journalist based in Syria told Al Jazeera. The evacuation route includes both government-held territory as well as rebel-controlled areas. Residents were given an ultimatum when contemplating evacuating the city.

"Civilians are given the choice to stay or leave — if they stay, they'll be under regime control. Most of the people want to go because they are afraid of potential massacres by the regime," Zouhir Al Shimale told Al Jazeera. "In recent days, people are desperate to get to somewhere where we have the supplies — food, medicine, fuel — like we used to have in the days before the siege. Even if they are in refugee camps, but people still want to leave the besieged area."

The ceasefire was at first delayed from taking effect Wednesday, when a new series of violent attacks and fighting took place, according to the Middle East Eye. It was supposed to have begun at 5 a.m. local time Wednesday. Instead, it began about 24 hours later.

Photos began emerging from the evacuation on both social media as well as traditional news outlets, showing throngs of war-weary-looking people of all ages, healthy and handicapped, streaming out of the city with all of their belongings in tow.

Tens of thousands of Syrians have been killed and nearly 11 million displaced after five and a half years of war. Part of the Arab Spring movement, the conflict began as a peaceful protest against the Syrian government but soon descended into civil war, which has since spiraled into war with other countries, including the United States, being involved.

Aleppo, once Syria’s industrial and financial center, was largely untouched by the 2011 protests but became an important battleground in 2012 when rebel forces launched an attack on the government. The result divided Syria’s largest city in two, with the eastern portion of the city under rebel control and the west under Assad.

In 2016, pro-government forces backed by Russian airstrikes launched an offensive to retake the entire city. The besieged eastern Aleppo was continuously bombarded with airstrikes that destroyed majority of its hospitals and prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid while its civilians were trapped with dwindling food, water and medical supplies.