Russia launches air strikes in Georgia

As fighting raged for a second day Saturday in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Russian jets bombed the town of Gori, near the breakaway province of South Ossetia.

An apartment building and military base were among the targets hit in Russia's attempt to force back Georgian troops seeking control over the separatist enclave on its southern border.

Freelance reporter Giorgi Lomsadze told CBC News that neighbours told him five people who were living in the building are killed.

Warplanes also bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility, the Georgian Interior Ministry said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that 1,500 people have been killed, with the death toll rising Saturday.

The figure could not be independently confirmed, but witnesses who fled the violence estimated that hundreds of civilians have died.

They said most of South Ossetia's provincial capital, Tskhinvali, was in ruins, with bodies lying everywhere.

Georgia launched its military offensive to regain the territory on Friday and Russia responded by sending about 2,500 troops into the region.

Bush calls for end to violence

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Saturday the fighting is endangering peace throughout the volatile region and he urged an end to the violence.

"I'm deeply concerned about the situation in Georgia," Bush said in a statement to reporters while attending the Olympic Games in Beijing.

"The attacks are occurring in regions of Georgia far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia. They mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis.

"The violence is endangering regional peace, civilian lives have been lost and others are endangered. We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops. We call for an end to the Russian bombings, and a return by the parties to the status quo of Aug. 6."

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Georgia is facing Russian military aggression and he condemned the decision to attack areas outside South Ossetia.

"Georgian authorities support a ceasefire and separation of the warring parties," he said on Saturday.

Concerns over humanitarian impact

Ron Redmond, spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency, said thousands of civilians are on the move as they try to escape from air attacks, heavy shelling and sniper fire in the region.

"A UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] staff member there reported that many buildings and houses have been destroyed and that only military personnel are moving on the streets.

"Water is also in short supply. That's a chronic problem and is being worsened by recent events. Most transport has stopped and shops are running out of food," he said.

Redmond said the governments of Georgia and the Russia Federation are taking care of the immediate needs of the displaced and so far have not asked for international assistance.

South Ossetia broke from Georgia in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union neared collapse. While the region's independence is not recognized internationally, it has close ties to Russia and almost all of its 70,000 residents have Russian passports.