Police arrested 74 people and seized scores of weapons in Abkhazia, where tensions between rival ethnic groups remain high, Tass said Wednesday. Two bombs exploded in the region but no injuries were reported.
In the Abkhazian capital of Sukhumi, an explosive device was thrown into the yard of a teacher's house and an explosion at a repair shop damaged a truck, the official Soviet news agency said.Abkhazia, a region in the southern republic of Georgia, has been the scene of fighting between ethnic Abkhazians and native Georgians since July 15. At least 21 people have been reported killed in clashes between the groups.
"The situation in Abkhazia and western Georgia is still tense," Tass said. "Unsanctioned meetings, involving 300 to 3,000 people, were held in Tbilisi, Chiatura and Akhaltsykha in the past 24 hours."
Tass said 70 people were detained for curfew violations Tuesday and Wednesday and four others were arrested for taking part in illegal demonstrations.