Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Kyrgyz Refugees Find Uzbek Border Closed VOA News 15 June 2010 Ethnic Uzbek women cry as they ride on a bus as it leaves Osh, 15 Jun 2010 Photo: AFP Ethnic Uzbek women cry as they ride on a bus as it leaves Osh, 15 Jun 2010 Uzbekistan says it has closed its borders to refugees fleeing the deadly inter-ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan.  The shutdown comes at the same time Uzbek officials say 100,000 ethnic Uzbeks have massed at Kyrgyzstan's southern border with Uzbekistan.  Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov says the border was closed because there is no place to accommodate more people. He said Uzbek authorities have so far registered 45,000 refugees. He said the border will re-open once the country receives humanitarian assistance. The United Nations refugee agency said Monday it is preparing to deploy an emergency team and aid to Uzbekistan to support refugees from Kyrgyzstan. The International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday launched a preliminary appeal for $10 million to assist those impacted by the violence. The group will begin flying food and other aid to Osh on Tuesday.  Officials say the unrest that began in Kyrgyzstan last Thursday has so far killed at least 170 people and wounded more than 1,700 others. But Uzbek community leaders and Red Cross officials say the death toll is much higher. Witnesses say ethnic Kyrgyz burned down Uzbek neighborhoods, with some Kyrgyz saying they were defending the country's south against an Uzbek attempt to seize it. The south is a power base for Kyrgyzstan's former president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who was ousted in April.  Mr. Bakiyev, who has taken refuge in Belarus, has denied any role in the current violence, and accused the interim government of failing to protect the people. He has urged the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to send in troops. It was not clear what sparked the violence, but interim government officials announced Monday they had arrested a "well-known" person accused of triggering the riots.  Some information for this report was provided by AFP. .