The number of displaced people ranges “from several hundred to several thousand in number," the ICRC's Severine Chappaz said. Many families also have no news about missing members.

The Kyrgyz army has retaken control of the city of Osh with troops patrolling the streets. An uneasy calm has descended upon the area and a sense of foreboding hangs in the air.

A truce has allowed the ICRC to reach the riot-affected area, which had been cut off from the outside world for several days.

Officially, at least 200,000 people fled their homes, an estimate deemed low. Some 75,000 ethnic Uzbeks have fled across the border into Uzbekistan. Many are housed in temporary shelters, but the fate of many others is still unknown.

Other refugees are stuck at the border after Uzbek authorities ordered it closed. They lack food and shelter, and entire families, children included, are sleeping on the road, in the open air. Some have had their home torched. Everyone is afraid that violence might flare up again; no one wants to go back.

The situation in Osh is also very serious. The authorities have begun cleaning up the streets, hauling away the burnt-out shells of cars. However, food remains in short supply. Some basic foodstuff, such as vegetables, butter and bread, are sold from trucks amid a massive military presence.

With the full impact of the humanitarian crisis becoming clear, Robert Blake, the top United States diplomat for the region, was to visit the Uzbek capital Tashkent and then the Fergana Valley on the Kyrgyz border. He will then travel to Bishkek for talks with Kyrgyzstan’s interim government.

In the meantime, the authorities of the shattered country announced three days of national mourning for the nearly 180 people killed in the violence that erupted last week.

China has evacuated a first group of 1,300 of its citizens, and plans to do the same with all others.