Gori

Interview place, time and date:15.08.2008
Interviewer organization: Association of Directors of Schools of Georgia
Respondent;woman 19years
Story code:0076
The first accident took place on 7th of August, when the Russian bomber aircraft fired three shells in the village of Karbi. No one was hurted. The second accident took place on 8th of August, at 7 a.m., when the bomber aircraft on the territory of Karbi fell down following the intense firing by Georgian soldiers. The part of the aircraft fell down on the settled territory and as a result, the nearby houses were demolished, one person was slightly injured and another one - severely injured, he died afterwards.
Almost all the houses in the village had the panes broken and rooves developed holes. Several hours later another bomber arrived in Karbi, which fired a shell near to the entrance bridge, likely for the purpose of exploding the bridge. A house was demolished, no one was hurted. The same aircraft fired another shell after half an hour in the middle of the village, killing 8 persons and wounding several people thereby. When we heard the noise of aircraft, the whole family used to hide in the basement. We had slept in the basement each night since the night of 7th of August. When the Russian bomber aircraft attacked Karbi, bilateral combat was ongoing between the Georgian land forces and Russian bomber aircrafts. Karbi residents can confirm the accident. On 9th of August, at 4 a.m., under the order of the head of local government, children, elderly people and woman were taken out of the village, as the Russian attack at larger scale was expected. I stayed at my relative's place for the first night and then moved to Public School No.115 of Tbilisi, and stayed there for all the following nights. Only my sister and I left the village, while my father, mother, and grandmothers left behind. On 14th of August, my father arrived in Tbilisi, who had been coming for 11 hours on foot. He was moving far from the highway, as Russian and Ossetian military tanks were patrolling on the Tbilisi-Gori highway.
At present, my mother and two grandmothers are in the occupied village of Karbi. Due to the illness, my grandmothers could not leave, and my mother stayed there to take care of them. Due to the blocking of the roads, emergency cars or any other vehicles are not let in to take them out. Until now, I managed to contact my mother on the phone, but since damaging of telephone pole by Ossetians, it is impossible to contact them. I am deeply concerned about who have stayed back in the village, as they are endangered; Russian-Ossetian-Cossack gangs are moving around in the Georgian villages. They pillage and burn down the houses, kill Georgians, take hostages. Therefore we are permanently under the shock and stress.
I confirm hereby information with a signature.