16:29, 9 August 2008

Georgian capital accepts refugees from South Ossetia

Today, refugees from South Ossetia have started to arrive to Tbilisi. The capital's Mayoralty asserts that they can accommodate all of them.

According to Russian Vice-Premier Sergey Sobyanin, over 30,000 refugees have left South Ossetia within the latest 36 hours. Their majority of them are in the southern regions of Russia. At the same time, some refugees try to find shelter in the Georgia-controlled territory.

Mamuka Akhvlediani, Vice-Mayor of Tbilisi, has stated that the Mayoralty is ready to accept up to 600 refugees. "However, if necessary, we'll accept more. We can accommodate everyone who needs it," Mr Akhvlediani has assured.

The "News-Georgia" Agency reports that those who arrived have been already accommodated into the hospital of the 31st Factory and in the building of the Emergency Service.

According to the South Ossetian party, over 1400 persons have fallen victim to the aggravation of the conflict. The figure was reported in the evening on August 8 by Republic's President Eduard Kokoity.