Islamabad (ANTARA News/AFP) - More than half a million people have fled fighting between the military and Taliban in northwest Pakistan and registered with authorities in the last 10 days, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday.

"As of late yesterday (Monday), a total of 501,496 displaced people from the new influx have now been formally registered by authorities, with UNHCR`s help, since May 2," the UNHCR said in a statement.

The refugees are trying to escape the military bombardments of Islamist extremists who are dug into three districts in northwest Pakistan.

The number has jumped from 360,000 people who had registered late Sunday. UNHCR spokeswoman Ariane Rummery told AFP the lifting of a curfew in Swat district on Sunday likely led to the leap in those fleeing.

The new refugees join another 500,000 civilians who fled previous bouts of fighting in Pakistan`s troubled North West Frontier Province last year, taking the total number of displaced people here to more than one million.(*)