7,718 Weapons Reported Seized in Uzbekistan

Troops have seized thousands of weapons since a curfew was imposed nearly two weeks ago to quell ethnic violence in Uzbekistan, and the death toll rose with the discovery of two more bodies, Tass reported Friday.

Tass, the official news agency, said troops had confiscated 157 firearms, knives and bayonets as well as 26 firebombs during road checks in the last 24 hours. A total of 7,718 weapons have now been confiscated.

Meanwhile, the remains of two people were discovered and added to the list of at least 100 victims, Tass said.

More than 1,000 buildings have been looted and burned since the brutal rampage against the Meskhetian Turk minority began in the Fergana Valley about 1,500 miles southeast of Moscow, the agency reported.

At least 1,500 people have been detained for violating the 10 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew that went into effect June 4, the military newspaper Red Star reported.

Vice President Anatoly I. Lukyanov has dispatched two members of Parliament to prepare a report for the Council of Nationalities, which will investigate the tragedy, Tass said.