50 feared dead as soldiers fire on Uzbek protesters

Soldiers opened fire on thousands of protesters in eastern Uzbekistan today after demonstrators stormed a jail to free 23 men accused of Islamic extremism, while a protest leader said about 50 people may have been killed hours earlier in clashes with police and security forces.

Protesters fell to the ground as the soldiers started shooting outside the administration building in Andijan, in the volatile Fergana Valley. An Associated Press reporter saw 10 people lying on the ground, apparently hit. Moments before, demonstrators said three people had been killed.