Russia launches fresh attacks on Chechnya

GEKHI, RUSSIA, OCT 30: Russian aircraft on Saturday launched fresh attacks on targets in the separatist region of Chechnya.

A Reuters correspondent in the Gekhi village said he saw two Russian warplanes drop their payload of bombs on the nearby town of Urus-Martan. However, there was no indication whether the attack had caused fresh casualties. Ramzan Abuyev, head of local administration in Urus-Martan district, said 40 refugees died and about 100 were hurt when their 20-car convoy came under fire near Shaami-Yurt village, west of Grozny.

He said they were returning to Chechnya in the late afternoon after finding the border closed with the adjoining region of Ingushetia, where some 190,000 refugees have sought shelter from the month-long Russian offensive. Russian officials have promised to reopen the border on Sunday. The Russian military denied its forces had attacked a convoy of refugees and said warplanes had attacked a column of trucks carrying Chechen fighters, destroying two of the vehicles.