Rights group Amnesty International has criticised the world's richest nations for taking in a "pitiful" number of Syria's most vulnerable refugees, according to BBC News.

It said only 1.7% of the 3.8m refugees taken in by Syria's regional neighbours had been offered sanctuary globally.

It singled out Arab Gulf states, China and Russia for failing to take in any refugees, which it said was "shameful".

Amnesty said the lack of global response was placing the burden on Syria's ill-equipped neighbours.

Most Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, and these countries are struggling to cope with the extra numbers.