THE GUARDIAN: At least 117 killed as thousands flee burning homes and Kyrgyz rioters armed with axes, while Uzbek leader claims higher toll
Thousands of Uzbeks fleeing southern Kyrgyzstan massed at the border today, as the deadliest ethnic violence in decades left entire city blocks razed to the ground and scores of people dead.
The official death toll from the clashes that began last week reached 117, with 1,500 injured, the health ministry of the beleaguered former Soviet country, which hosts US and Russian military bases, announced.
However, an Uzbek leader claimed that 200 Uzbeks have already been buried, and the International Committee of the Red Cross has said its delegates witnessed about 100 bodies being buried in just one cemetery.
Jallahitdin Jalilatdinov, who heads the Uzbek National Centre, said that at least 100,000 had fled for the border and were awaiting entry into Uzbekistan. An Associated Press reporter saw at least hundreds of Uzbek refugees stuck at a border crossing near Jalal-Abad in a no-man's land between the boundaries.
The interim government, which took over after Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted by a public revolt in April, has been unable to stop the violence and accused Bakiyev's family of instigating it. Uzbeks have backed the interim government, while many Kyrgyz in the south have supported the toppled president. (+ video) >>> Luke Harding and agencies | Monday, June 14, 2010
