Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Chad death toll hits 100

|
|
 
  
Published: Feb. 6, 2008 at 8:14 PM

N'DJAMENA, Chad, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- While government helicopters in Chad's capital hunted down rebels, relief officials said Wednesday the death toll in N'Djamena had reached at least 100.

"In the three main hospitals of the town we have counted 100 civilians dead," Guilhem Molinie, head of the Medecins San Frontieres mission in Chad, told the BBC. "We are arriving at something like 700 wounded."

The Red Cross put the death toll at 160 or higher and said 1,000 were injured during the fighting in the capital, the British network reported.

"The Chadian Red Cross collected 80 bodies and there remain at least as many again, probably more," said Thomas Merkelbach, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in N'Djamena.

Anti-government forces converged on the city late last week, mainly in pickup trucks, and got into heavy fighting with police and government forces before retreating Sunday night. The rebels were reportedly running low on ammunition and fuel and were being pursued by government military helicopters.

Red Cross said workers were collecting bodies from the dusty streets strewn with burned-out vehicles. Relief workers said more than 20,000 others fled into neighboring Cameroon and Nigeria.

Recommended Stories
© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
Something called MySpace announces it signed up 1 million new members in December. This could be...
Anonymous notes left on doors can make for some pretty funny reading. Behold, a tribute to the creativity...
GOP state representative introduces bill banning DUI checkpoints to protect your civil right to...
If it ever occured to you wonder "Who invented 5-hour Energy?". I'd be willing to be your first...
Due to unpopular demand, the US Mint will make but not circulate Presidential $1 coins beginning...
Someone broke into my garage last and went through some boxes, but didn't take end up taking anything....