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Ethnic clashes rage in Kyrgyzstan; thousands flee |
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Written by Oppression Staff
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Monday, 14 June 2010 07:10 |
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Tens of thousands of Uzbeks are fleeing ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan amid what one aid official described Sunday as a "humanitarian catastrophe," according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
At least 114 people have been killed in the clashes and another 1,458 have been wounded, Kyrgyzstan's national news agency AKI press reported. Earlier Sunday, the government put the figures at nearly 100 people dead and more than 700 hospitalized since fighting broke out Thursday night.
According to one report, the death toll is much higher. Officials in Osh, the city most affected by the violence, said at least 500 ethnic Uzbeks have been killed, according to Ferghana.Ru, an independent news agency.
An estimated 80,000 refugees have fled across the Kyrgyz border into neighboring Uzbekistan, according to ICRC spokeswoman Anna Nelson.
Nelson told CNN that ICRC representatives visited refugee camps Sunday in Uzbekistan, where 30,000 adults, mostly women, have registered. Each woman, Nelson said, has two or three children with her. |
