Global reaction

The unrest raised concerns in the international community. An "ally and a close partner" of Kyrgyzstan, Russia was rushing humanitarian aid to the former Soviet Central Asian republic, but it would not yet send troops.

"This is an internal conflict and Russia does not yet see the conditions for its participating in resolving it," Natalya Timakhova, spokeswoman for President Dmitry Medvedev, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

A decision to dispatch peacekeepers could be taken only after consultations with the United Nations, she added.

The United States, which maintained an air base outside the capital Bishkek, called on Saturday for a "rapid restoration of peace and public order" in southern Kyrgyzstan, saying it supported UN and European efforts to help bring an end to the deadly violence.

"The United States is closely monitoring developments in the Kyrgyz republic and calls for a rapid restoration of peace and public order in the city of Osh and elsewhere where it appears ethnic violence is occurring," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.

"The United States supports efforts coordinated by the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to facilitate peace and order and the provision of humanitarian assistance to the victims of violence and disorder in the Kyrgyz republic."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had received reports of tens of thousands people fleeing the fighting and looting.

"Things are getting worse and worse by the hour," Severine Chappaz, the deputy head of the ICRC's mission in Kyrgyzstan, said in a statement from Osh. The European Commission had announced it would send an humanitarian expert to evaluate the situation and determine what aid was needed.

Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, called on Friday for restoring stability in Kyrgyzstan through dialogue.

In a declaration issued at the end of the SCO summit in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, the SCO member countries said any difference should be settled through dialogue and consultations by political and diplomatic means.

The member states emphasized that restoring Kyrgyzstan's political stability was significant to the entire region and they were willing to provide necessary support and assistance to Kyrgyzstan.