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ICRC: Tens of thousands of people are in need of emergency help in areas affected by the armed conflict in Georgia

14 August 2008 11:14 (UTC +04:00)

Tbilisi â€“ APA. Tens of thousands of people are in need of emergency help in areas affected by the armed conflict involving Georgian, Russian and South Ossetian troops, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The committee told APA that the ICRC has repeatedly requested safe and unimpeded access to South Ossetia in order to assess residents’ needs and start distributing relief goods.
"It is imperative that we gain rapid access to South Ossetia so that we can bring urgent help to those in need," said Dominik Stillhart, the ICRC’s deputy director of operations.
The ICRC has established an air bridge from its logistics centre in Amman, Jordan, to Tbilisi, with an initial shipment of 35 tonnes of relief supplies, including blankets, jerrycans, tarpaulins, buckets and hygiene items due to leave shortly.