The official death toll in the southern Kyrgyz interethnic clashes has risen to 258 people, the AKIpress agency said on Thursday citing the republic`s health ministry.

According to official figures released on Wednesday, 240 people were killed in the unrest, but authorities admit that the actual death toll may be ten times higher.

"The number of injured stands at 2,224, including 1,035 hospitalized and 1,198 patients who received out-patient treatment," the report says.

Clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, who account for about 15% of Kyrgyzstan`s population, broke out in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh on June 11, lasting several days and spreading to nearby Jalalabad.

UNICEF says over 100,000 refugees fled to neighboring Uzbekistan during the clashes, while the United Nations says around 400,000 have been displaced by the unrest.

Some 70,000 displaced persons have returned to Kyrgyzstan so far, including 25,864 people who crossed the border in the past 24 hours, the 24.kg agency said.
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