Thousands of civilians have fled South Ossetia - many seeking shelter in the Russian province of North Ossetia.

"The Georgians burned all of our homes," said one elderly woman, as she sat on a bench under a tree with three other white-haired survivors of the fighting...

...Tskhinvali residents who survived the Georgian bombardment overnight Friday by hiding in basements and later fled the city estimated that hundreds of civilians had died.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080810/world/georgia_south_ossetia